Austria’s Klaus Kroell boosted his downhill World Cup chances by beating two Norwegians on their home snow to win yesterday’s race in Kvitfjell.
Joint winner with Switzerland’s Beat Feuz in Friday’s Super-G on the same course, Kroell maintained his brilliant end of season form to triumph alone this time in 1 minute, 45.76 seconds.
Norwegian Kjetil Jansrud, who dominated the practice and finished third in the Super-G, missed his first victory in a World Cup speed event by 0.02 seconds. Compatriot Aksel Lund Svindal was third, 0.48 seconds off the pace.
Photo: AFP
Kroell said he felt almost as much at home as the local favorites in Kvitfjell, the course on which he won his first World Cup downhill three years ago.
“I’m in love with this mountain. I love the area, it really feels like home,” he said.
In the downhill standings, Kroell now leads Swiss Didier Cuche by 48 points with only one race remaining at the World Cup finals in Schladming, Austria, later this month.
“Winning the downhill World Cup has always been my biggest goal. It was my objective at the start of the season and to achieve such a performance under such pressure is a huge satisfaction,” he said.
“Luck was also on my side, 0.02 seconds is nothing, but the hundredths of a second used to go the wrong way in the past,” the Austrian added.
Cuche, who is chasing his fifth crystal globe in the discipline, was a disappointing 10th on the Olympiabakken piste on which he won two downhills in 2007 and 2010.
Feuz finished just outside the medal placings in fourth, adding 50 points to his overall total.
In the race for the overall championship globe, Feuz now leads Austria’s Marcel Hirscher by 55 points and can collect more points in today’s Super-G, also in Kvitfjell.
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