Jansrud Wins Kitz' Super G
It was a fantastic day for the Norwegian ‘Attacking Vikings,’ who went 1-2 in front of the rowdy Austrian crowd. Kjetil Jansrud showed that he’s still the most successful man in the discipline, taking his 13th FIS World Cup super-G victory. Only his retired teammate Aksel Lund Svindal, who was cheering in the Hahnenkamm finish, and Hermann Maier of Austria have won more World Cup super-G races than Kjetil. Showing incredible consistency, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde finished second. He has secured a result in the top eight in each of the last 10 World Cup super-Gs. Matthias Mayer of Austria tied Aleksander for second place—his fifth Kitzbuehel super-G podium.
What a way and what a venue to plan a comeback for Kjetil Jansrud (NOR). The Norwegian claimed the opening Super G in Kitzbühel, thanks to a nearly perfect run and tops the podium for the first time since November 2018. It's the 13th World Cup Super G victory for Jansrud, as he continues to be the most successful active skier in this discipline.
Jansrud claimed a second place in the last Super G in Val Gardena, but this victory has a different taste and could turn around the season of the 34-year-old Norwegian. Jansrud also becomes the eight man ever to claim a double in Kitzbühel (winning both the Downhill and Super G) after his former victory in Downhill in 2015.
Kilde confirms his outstanding consistency, having scored top 8 results in each of the last ten Super G races.
The Norwegian has been skiing fast also in Giant Slalom this season and sits in second place in the overall standings, 20 points behind Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR).
A fvery successful first day came to an end in Kitzbühel and there is a lot of anticipation for the bigest event of the weekend, Saturday's Downhill on the Streif, starting at 11.30 CET. Who will be the champion this year?
Travis Ganong landed another top result, finishing in 10th in the super-G in Kitzbuehel, Austria—the most famously challenging super-G on the FIS World Cup circuit.
Travis was happy to put down another good finish after finishing eighth in the Bormio downhill in December. “I think I’m skiing pretty well,” he said. “I’ve been building up again since the break over Christmas… I always love coming back to Kitzbuehel. It’s a really fun hill because you don’t have to worry about all these little funky sections. You just ski fast and well and push on the ski. It’s really enjoyable to ski. I have a good feeling on my skis and it’s nice to come down in the top 10.”
Unlike most years where the Kitzbuehel track looks more like a mirror and coaches have to bring crampons to stand on the course, this year’s snow is significantly more aggressive and forgiving. “Of all my years, it’s probably the easiest snow I’ve skied on (at Kitzbuehel),” said Travis, who has been racing the Hahnenkamm for nine years. “You can really charge and push on the ski and take some more risk. It’s less of a tactical race and more of a normal ski race. It’s fun!”
Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes Ryan Cochran-Siegle and Steven Nyman also skied into the points, but had major mistakes, taking 26th and 30th, respectively. Jared Goldberg was 40th and Sam Dupratt 42nd.
“It’s always good having one race under your belt leading into the downhill—especially the downhill here,” said Travis. “The super-G is kind of like a warmup. If you can make it down and have a solid run in super-G, it’s nice to take that momentum into the next day. We’ll see what happens.”
