ALPINE:

Cuche dominates, clinches downhill season crown

March 6, 2010 — The Canadian Press         

►Photos: Aksel Lund Svindal, above (Agance Zoom); Erik Guay (AZ); men's podium (AZ)

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KVITFJELL, Norway — Didier Cuche of Switzerland won his third straight World Cup downhill title with a dominant run Saturday, his first race after missing the podium in the event at the Vancouver Olympics.

Cuche finished the 1994 Olympic course in 1 minute, 45.98 seconds to beat Olympic silver medalist Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway by nearly half a second. Defending champion Klaus Kroell of Austria was third.

"I really enjoyed it," Cuche said. "I was very nervous about 30 minutes before the start, but then I calmed down. I found a really tight line down the course."

Canada’s Erik Guay was ninth, Jan Hudec 13th, Manny Osborne-Paradis 21st and Ben Thomsen 43rd.

Bode Miller, who won bronze in the downhill at the Vancouver Olympics, skipped the event.

Cuche won his third downhill this season, and he clinched the discipline title with one race remaining next week in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.

The 35-year-old Swiss also won the downhill titles in 2007 and 2008. With a giant slalom and super-G victory, Cuche has won five races this season to improve his career total to 14.

The race Saturday in sunny but freezing weather was marred by a crash by Andrew Weibrecht of the United States, the Olympic super-G bronze medallist.

Weibrecht lost his balance while landing after a long jump, tumbled over several times with his skis and poles flying away before coming to a stop in safety netting. He was seen moving, but appeared to clutch his right shoulder.

The U.S. Ski Team announced that Weibrecht dislocated his shoulder in the crash and is out for the remainder of the season.

Cuche went to Vancouver as the leading downhill racer, but he finished only sixth.

"Of course the Olympics were a disappointment, but I wasn't completely down," Cuche said. "The media at home made me the big favourite at the Olympics and then they tried to put me down by saying I was completely destroyed. It was a game I didn't like.

"The Olympics is one race, and what does one race mean compared to the other 120 between the Games,” Cuche said. "I came here to enjoy the skiing and not seek revenge for anything. I've always liked being here, having success makes it even better."

Cuche's only rival for the downhill title, Swiss teammate Carlo Janka, finished sixth.

Svindal, who won the super-G Olympic gold medal, delighted the home crowd with a fast run, but he went too wide in a bend and was second in 1:46.45.

"I was fine until the last jump. When I landed, I came off the track and there was a bit of snow there," Svindal said. "Didier is the best downhiller in the world and he deserved to win. He should have won a medal in Vancouver."

Kroell was third in 1:46.55, despite a sore left leg from a crash in practice Friday.

Guay, who had two top five finishes at the Olympic Winter Games, said he's been fairly pleased with his skiing of late.

"It's not a bad result. I would have liked a little bit better with the training runs going so well. But ninth place is still my second-best (World Cup) result in the downhill this season," said Guay, who was in the top three in both training runs earlier in the week.

He lost most of his time on one of the final turns between the last interval and the finish line.

"That's where I kind of messed up a little bit. I had a good start to the turn but it's pretty slick at the exit. I released my pressure a bit too early and got hooked up. It kind threw my skis sideways," Guay said. "It's such an important turn because after that it's pretty much a straight away to the finish."

Hudec is rounding back into top form, finishing 13th in 1:47.12. For Hudec, it's his best result since suffering a knee injury at the 2009 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships.

"My skiing today is something I can be proud of so I am pretty happy about that," Hudec said. "I feel lucky and blessed to be healthy and to race to my full potential."

Osborne-Paradis, competing exactly a year to the day of his stunning downhill victory in Kvitfjell, secured 21st spot. Osborne-Paradis will leave Kvitfjell in fourth place in the men's downhill standings with 245 World Cup points.

The super-G in Kvitfjell takes place Sunday. The race can be seen live on www.cbc.ca and cable channel bold beginning at 3:05 ET a.m. as well as on CBC's GMC Alpine Ski Series at 2:30 p.m. ET (except in Atlantic Canada, Newfoundland & Labrador).  SRC

— Alpine Canada contributed to this report

Kvitfjell men’s World Cup downhill results