German scores surprise win in classic Kitzbuhel downhill
The 24-year-old German clinched only the second podium finish of his career with a storming run down..
The 24-year-old German clinched only the second podium finish of his career with a storming run down the infamous Streif course in front of the 45,000-strong crowd intent on turning the pretty Austrian resort into a carnival for this iconic weekend of ski racing.Follow @cnnsportThe Kitzbuhel track is notoriously difficult with huge jumps, such as the 80-meter Mausefalle not long after the steep start section, and fast, bumpy, technical sections such as the Steilhang. High-speed crashes are an occupational hazard for the racers.
History maker
Dressen, who was the 19th racer to go, clocked a time of one minute 56.15 seconds to beat Swiss Beat Feuz, winner of last week's downhill in Wengen, by .20 seconds.Austrian Hannes Reichelt, the 2014 winner, gave the raucous home fans something to cheer about with third place in 1:56.56.Dressen made his debut on the World Cup circuit in 2015 and claimed his first podium — a third — in the Beaver Creek downhill in December.He became the first skier to win his debut World Cup race at Kitzbhuel since Didier Cuche in 1998. The Swiss went on to win the iconic Hahnenkamm downhill a record five times. He is also the first German to win the Kitzbuhel downhill since Sepp Ferstl (representing West Germany) in 1978 and 1979.
High-speed crash
Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal, who won Friday's super-G over a shortened course, finished eighth. The 35-year-old, one of the most successful racers in skiing speed disciplines over the last decade, was racing at Kitzbuhel for the first time since a season-ending crash on the Hahnenkamm in 2016. Svindal, who has won two downhills so far this season and was second behind Feuz in Wengen, won the super-G from friend and countryman Kjetil Jansrud with Olympic downhill champion Matthias Mayer third and Reichelt fourth. Visit CNN.com/skiing for more news, features and video Frenchman Johan Clarey, who holds the record for the fastest speed in a World Cup race with 100.6 mph on the Lauberhorn in Wengen in 2013, was lucky to walk away from a high-speed crash on the Hahnenkamm Saturday. The slalom specialists with compete in Kitzbuhel Sunday, while the speed circuit heads to Germany for next week's race in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.The Winter Olympics begin in PyeongChang, South Korea on February 9.
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