Eternal Johan Clarey. At 42, the Frenchman occupied the leading seat for a few minutes and even glimpsed a first victory in the World Cup on Saturday January 21, but his hopes were quickly swept away by Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, unleashed on the famous and terrifying track of the Streif in Kitzbühel. The Norwegian won in 1′ 56”90, almost seven tenths ahead of the skier from Tignes.
Under the snow and on the most legendary descent of the World Cup, Johan Clarey once again offered great emotions to French ski fans. The skier from Tignes, bib 12, author of a very good start, knew how to make his speed speak for himself to light green at each intermediate and reach the finish line in 1′ 57”85, three tenths faster than the American Travis Ganong, who led the dance until then, and who will finally finish third.
But two bibs later, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, who has continued to rack up victories since returning to competition after a serious knee injury in the fall of 2021, skied to perfection and made his edge and trajectory skills speak for themselves. .
???? Exceptional Johan Clarey!! At 41, the French skier had a superb descent in Kitzbühel! That’s not enough… https://t.co/1ihZLi3mqi
“I felt pretty good, I pushed a lot harder than yesterday, but you don’t really know if you’re fast or not. Seeing green at the finish is the best feeling. I’m super happy to have been able to do this performance and to be on the podium.”reacted Johan Clarey at the microphone of Eurosport.
Kitzbühel succeeds
With this second place, the Olympic vice-champion in Beijing offers an eleventh career podium in the World Cup, the fifth in Kitzbühel. The Austrian resort is his garden: the Frenchman, who is still chasing after his first victory in the Alpine Skiing World Cup, had already taken second place in the downhill in Tyrol a year ago to the day.
Eighteenth in the first descent on Friday, Johan Clarey, who had skipped the stage in Wengen (Switzerland) a week earlier for personal reasons, pulled himself together on Saturday to claim a second podium this season. after his second place at Val Gardena in Italy in the same discipline. A good omen before the World Alpine Skiing Championships, from February 6 to 19, at home, in Courchevel and Méribel.
Leader in the downhill discipline, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde consolidates his second place in the general classification of the World Cup. The Norwegian even carried out an excellent accounting operation on Saturday in the Austrian station by getting closer to the leader, the Swiss Marco Odermatt, who did not take part in the descent of the day, hit in the knee after going off the track on Friday.