(Wengen) The rivalry between Aleksander Aamodt Kilde and Marco Odermatt flared up again during the World Cup downhill in Wengen.
Posted at 10:05 a.m.
Kilde edged Odermatt by 0.19 seconds to win a day after his Swiss friend won a super-G in another duel on the Lauberhorn mountain.
Beat Feuz finished third, 0.30 behind the Norwegian winner, as he sought a record fourth win at his home country’s classic race.
Kilde’s second downhill victory of the season earned him 100 points and propelled him to the top of the discipline standings. The overall champion of the 2020 World Cup nevertheless barely closed the gap on Odermatt in the general classification.
Odermatt’s consistent results saw him take an overall lead of almost 400 points with his six wins over Kilde’s five in 19 events.
James Crawford was the best Canadian in the event with a 16and place, 1.48 seconds behind the winner. Broderick Thompson ranked 33and and Cameron Alexander finished 40and. Brodie Seger finished at 42and row, just ahead of Jeffrey Read.
Odermatt’s second place in the first-ever downhill in Wengen was impressive as he proved to be faster than Feuz, his teammate and four-time reigning World Cup downhill champion.
Hard snow and bright sunshine on a cold day ensured a fast race with American Bryce Bennett reaching top speed above 151km/h, good for seventh place, 0.95 behind the winner.
Another descent on the Lauberhorn piste is scheduled for Saturday.