1 of 3Photo: Giovanni Maria Pizzato / AP
Aleksander Aamodt Kilde drove in to a victory so solid that rival Dominik Paris stood with a hat in hand.
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– It was a fantastic round. I took enough risk and it went in the fall line all the way. It went according to plan today, says Aamodt Kilde to Viaplay after the Super G race in Bormio.
The Norwegian really picked up speed in the middle sectors and whipped in 85 hundredths ahead of Vincent Kriechmayr. The latter was pushed down by outsider Raphael Haaser, who took second place.
– Who in all days should be able to beat Kilde here then, VSport commentator Andreas Toft asked rhetorically.
The answer: none. Thus, Kilde took its third Super G victory of the season, and its tenth World Cup winner in total.
Not only that: the Norwegian is the first to win three straight super G races since Kjetil Jansrud did the same in 2016.
– It was completely raw, really solid skiing. He drives so fast that he gets problems where the other runners do not get it, says national team coach Steve Skavik to VSport.
The management was so impressive that Dominik Paris, who was among Kilde’s superiors in yesterday’s downhill run same place, took off his cap in a salute to the Norwegian 29-year-old.
The Italian himself had a disappointing day after the downhill winner.
The Norwegian’s triumph is the first Norwegian victory in Bormio since 2013 – and Kilde’s fourth World Cup winner since the comeback after the ugly cruciate ligament injury this winter:
Adrian Smiseth Sejersted received a track report from Kilde before his race, but disappointed and drove in a full 3.38 seconds behind his teammate.