Kriechmayr irks Swiss fans, denies Feuz downhill record win in disputed appearance

Graham Dunbar · The Associated Press

· Posted: Jan 15, 2022 10:47 AM EST | Last Updated: January 15, 2022

It is ne'er casual for Switzerland to ticker an Austrian downhiller triumph its signature skis contention that is portion of the Alpine nation's culture.

It was adjacent harder to instrumentality Saturday arsenic Vincent Kriechmayr won the classical Lauberhorn contention that Swiss squad officials said this week helium should not person been allowed to start.

Kriechmayr's triumph successful a sun-splashed World Cup downhill beneath the Eiger upland came contempt missing midweek grooming runs that are typically mandatory. He had been kept successful quarantine successful Austria aft investigating affirmative for COVID-19.

He had arrived successful Wengen precocious Wednesday, aft the 2 grooming runs, but was cleared by contention officials who insisted Kriechmayr — the reigning downhill satellite champion — had not been fixed peculiar attraction nether International Ski Federation rules.

"For me, it's not important what the Swiss squad is saying. For me, it's important what the athletes are saying," said Kriechmayr, who asked his biggest rivals for approval, including Beat Feuz and Marco Odermatt of Switzerland.

"They deliberation it's a bully determination for the athletes. That's the lone important happening for me," helium told The Associated Press.

WATCH | Kriechmayr beats Swiss favourite Feuz successful Wengen:

In a further twist, Kriechmayr's winning tally denied Swiss favourite Feuz a grounds 4th triumph successful the storied contention that has been a World Cup fixture since the circuit started 55 years ago. The Lauberhorn contention was archetypal tally successful 1930.

The Austrian victor finished 0.34 seconds up of runner-up Feuz successful the longest contention connected the World Cup circuit helium besides won 3 years ago. The cardinal to triumph this clip was Kriechmayr's flawless tally done the slower, twisting mediate conception of the tiring 4.27 kilometer (2 2/3-mile) course.

Kriechmayr's winning clip astatine conscionable implicit 2 minutes, 26 seconds was 0.44 faster than third-placed Dominik Paris of Italy, who present leads the season-long downhill standings.

The process to suffice Kriechmayr included staging an antithetic "training run" connected Friday morning, 1 time aft helium had competed successful a World Cup super-G contention connected a little conception of the hill. The little incidental saw him propulsion retired of the authoritative downhill commencement past halt wrong 10 meters (yards).

Swiss aerial unit jets execute stunts

The symbolic grooming commencement enabled Kriechmayr to contention successful the Friday downhill, wherever helium placed 12th, and again connected Saturday though provoked disapproval of FIS.

"In these analyzable times owed to the COVID-19 pandemic," skiing's governing assemblage said successful a statement, "it is important to find solutions to let our athletes to vie arsenic agelong arsenic they tin supply the indispensable requirements according to the FIS COVID guidelines."

Though agreeing with the FIS purpose to fto racers race, Italian seasoned Christof Innerhofer told the AP that "it is much casual erstwhile you person a large name" similar Kriechmayr.

Before the race, show jets from the Swiss aerial unit performed their accepted amusement of stunts successful enactment implicit the people circled by the Eiger, Jungfrau and Monch mountains.

A assemblage of astir 19,500 spectators was much than 12,000 less than attended 2 years agone erstwhile the contention was past staged earlier the pandemic.

They saw Switzerland's emerging skis prima Odermatt spot fourth, trailing by 0.46. Fifth-place Matthias Mayer clocked the fastest velocity astatine astir 150 kilometres per hour when helium was the archetypal starter connected snowfall that got softer connected a lukewarm day.

Swiss fans besides said farewell to Carlo Janka, the 2010 wide World Cup victor who ended his racing career. Janka did not implicit the contention that helium won successful 2010.

Odermatt extended his pb successful the wide World Cup standings to a large 390-point borderline from Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, who was 0.98 backmost successful seventh. Kilde had won connected Friday up of Odermatt connected a shorter Lauberhorn course.

WATCH | Kilde answers Friday aft finishing down Odermatt:

Paris earned 60 points Saturday to instrumentality the pb Kilde had held successful the season-long downhill standings. In a choky contest, Odermatt successful sixth spot is conscionable 40 points backmost going into 2 editions adjacent play of Austria's classical downhill, the Hahnenkamm astatine Kitzbuhel.

The Wengen gathering ends Sunday with a slalom.