Swiss veteran Didier Cuche shot out a warning to pretenders to the crown of World Cup and Olympic speed events with a double triumph after sealing downhill victory yesterday.
Cuche made it two out of two with a win down the Streif course to follow up his super-G success 24 hours earlier — it was the first double in Kitzbuehel since Stephan Eberharter achieved the feat in 2002.
It was also Cuche’s fourth win of the season and his 13th overall, and it came after he clocked 1 minute, 53.74 seconds, with Slovenian Andrej Sporn 0.28 seconds further back in second and Italian Werner Heel in third a further 0.11 seconds adrift.
PHOTO: AFP
“I think it’s the best weekend in my career,” Cuche said. “It’s incredible to nail the double that only Eberharter and [Hermann] Maier [in 2001] have achieved.”
“I’m really very proud and I offer my excuses to Austria,” the Swiss racer said.
Cuche said he did not mind that he was seen as the favorite for Olympic gold in Whistler next month.
“It’s no problem for me being favorite,” said Cuche, who revealed he had studied Eberharter’s races at least 20 times on the Internet so as to inspire him.
“One has to accept it and deep down it gives me great pleasure. I prefer to be favorite than an outsider, it reduces the pressure on me,” he said.
Cuche’s Swiss teammate Carlo Janka remained atop the World Cup overall standings after placing 11th, 1.25 seconds back, ahead of Austrian slalom specialist Benjamin Raich, who finished well down the field, 3.86 seconds off Cuche’s pace.
Sporn was ecstatic at taking a podium place at such a celebrated downhill, especially as he had not trained in the discipline after undergoing a back operation.
“It’s incredible to be here in Kitzbuehel, I can only dream about this, especially after my injury last year,” Sporn said.
The course’s biggest casualty was that of reigning World Cup downhill champion Michael Walchhofer.
The Austrian lost his balance coming into a tight turn after a steep jump, an edge catching and spinning him around backwards, before propelling him into the course-side safety netting. Walchhofer took a few moments to untangle himself from the second of the three-net set-up, but was able to ski down unaided, albeit on one ski.
■WOMEN’S DOWNHILL
AP, CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, ITALY
Lindsey Vonn made it a perfect five wins in five World Cup downhills this season with another decisive victory yesterday.
The American also tied Janica Kostelic with her 30th career victory, good for eighth place on the all-time list and nearly halfway to Austrian leader Annemarie Moser-Proell’s 62 career wins.
“Just knowing that people have had that many wins makes it more inspiring,” Vonn said. “You know that people have done it before and so it gives you hope that you can do it, too. It’s good to know there’s something to keep striving for.”
Following her super-G victory on Friday, Vonn sped down the Olympia delle Tofane course in 1 minute, 37.70 seconds. Maria Riesch of Germany finished second, 0.42 seconds behind, with Sweden’s Anja Paerson and Swiss racer Nadja Kamer tied for third, 0.86 seconds back.
“It’s very special for me to be on the podium with all these great skiers,” said Kamer, who posted her first podium finish earlier this month when she placed second behind Vonn at a downhill in Haus im Ennstal, Austria.
Before the Vancouver Olympics open on Feb. 12, only one more stop remains on the women’s calendar — in St Moritz next week. If Vonn wins the downhill in the Swiss resort, she’ll head to Canada on a six-race winning streak in the discipline.
In the overall standings, Vonn increased her lead over Riesch to 1,094 points to 1,018. In downhill, Vonn has a perfect 500 points, with Riesch in second with 316 points.
Another American, Julia Mancuso, matched Vonn through the first checkpoint and was on course for her first podium finish in nearly two years, before she lost nearly half a second on the bottom. She finished eighth, her best result of the season.
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