Kilde Wins Aspen DH & DH Title
Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (NOR) put down something special on his way to victory in the downhill. The Norwegian star outpaced the field by 0.61 seconds in Aspen as the Audi FIS World Cup season nears the close.
Kilde also clinched the season downhill crystal globe with the victory and one more downhill race to go. It is the fifth crystal globe of his career as he defends his downhill title from 2022.
“It is amazing to be a part of this fight with the top athletes in the world. To be able to win the crystal globe is incredible. It is so fun and just have to keep on pushing and try to do it next year again,” said Kilde.
It is the sixth downhill victory of the season for Kilde. He becomes the first male or female skier to win at least six World Cup downhill events in a single season.
Even though he is from Norway, the Colorado slopes of Aspen are a home track for Kilde.
“I have been in Aspen since I was four. I have family here and they are always supporting. I really love them and them being here today is incredible. It could not have been much better honestly,” said Kilde.
Super-G World Champion James Crawford (CAN) continued his run of form with a great ski to finish in second place.
“I had a few mistakes which kept me off the pace of Kilde. All in all, after how the training runs were going, I am really happy with the race,” said Crawford. “After world champs and getting good results there, I relaxed on the season. My big goal was to win a race, so I settled down after and had less pressure which makes it easier to go out and do what I know how to do.”
Crawford now has three World Cup podiums this season to go along with his world championship.
Marco Odermatt (SUI) had a fantastic run but settled for third place. Odermatt will have one more chance to secure his first World Cup downhill victory in the season final in Soldeu.
“I am very happy with the podium here in Aspen. It is not the easiest track for me because I like a little bit steeper so it is a really good result,” said Odermatt.
The likely overall season champion, Odermatt now has 17 podiums this World Cup season. He bests his mark of 16 podiums last season.
Vincent Kriechmayr (AUT) had an outside chance to challenge for the downhill title before today’s race but could not put together enough magic to pull it off. The Austrian suffered from a slightly slow start to finish fourth.
Johan Clarey (FRA) almost lost his skis but pulled off a great recovery to propel him to a strong fifth-place finish.
Adrian Smiseth Sejersted (NOR) went for it all on his run. The Norwegian was on pace to challenge his teammate atop the podium but missed a gate and did not finish. Sejersted was sitting in first on Friday in the downhill before the race was called.
Travis Ganong (USA) got another chance at his final run. Ganong finished in 17th place ending a great career for the American as he announced his retirement before this weekend. Ganong finishes with six career World Cup podiums and two victories.
The U.S. Alpine Ski Team had a tremendous and emotional day. To start the exciting race off, Bryce Bennett skied into his best result of the season with a 10th place finish.
“I’ve been skiing really hard all winter long,” said Bennett. “I've barely taken any time off and today was the first time this season I could really race and it was a good feeling.”
This has been a difficult season for Bennett who had come off of a World Cup victory the season prior in Val Gardena, Italy. He has had a number of top 30s, but this race was a breakthrough for the downhiller.
Jared Goldberg came down right after Bennett, with very fast top splits. Goldberg had some small mistakes toward the end that brought his time up, landing him in 19th place. Travis Ganong placed just above Goldberg in 17th, his final run on domestic soil.
The excitement continued amongst the home crowd with Sam Morse skiing from bib 38 to an incredible 14th place. This position is his second-best result of his career; his two previous best results were in Val Gardena this season.
“I just tried to stay focused and I think I did a good job of it, and for sure the skis were running up top,” said Morse, who raced his first World Cup in Aspen in 2017. “Today was my best result this year. I stayed calm and kept it simple.”
The big finale of the day came with racer 60, Steven Nyman, as he skied a victory lap in jeans, the American Downhiller vest, and a live stream of his run on Instagram. Nyman’s team, family and friends stood in the finish corral to welcome him in and celebrate his storied career. It was a special moment for the home crowd, and for the other teams, many of whom also crowded the finish to give their respects to the skiing icon.
“Crossing the finish line and seeing everybody was incredible,” said Nyman. “It’s just incredible to see the guys that changed my life and affected my life. It was so meaningful to me. I saw downhillers from all over the world in the finish and it means a lot."
