Didier Cuche added the full length downhill to his victories in Kitzbuehel with a tremendous run down the Streif. The perfect conditions were probably best described by American Marco Sullivan who described the conditions on the course as he came through the finish area as “that was a damn fine run!” The cold clear night that preceded the race meant that the conditions could not have been better for the racers leaving the Rolex Start at the top of the Hahnenkamm.

Kitzbuehel is notorious for creating legends and in winning his second race in two days, Didier Cuche became only the third racer to complete this unique double of winning the Super G and Downhill in Kitzbuehel on the same weekend, joining the illustrious list that includes Rolex Testimonee Hermann Maier. “I am very proud to have managed to have won both races,” reflected Cuche after the race. Cuche has now won on the full length course, the sprint course and shortened course for his third win in the Kitzbuehel Downhill.

From the moment that Austrian Georg Streitberger left the start, the estimated crowd of 44,000 fans of many nationalities, created a fantastic atmosphere as ever. Each fan had their own favourite and the anticipated support for each racer was as vocal as ever. Hans Grugger momentarily held the lead before Sporn grabbed his opportunity with both hands. Sporn spent this time last year watching the race injured and “never believed that I would be back here on the podium.” While Grugger would finish sixth just behind Norwegian Aksel Lund Svindal, Sporn began to think of bigger things. “I used to be a slalom skier before I had problems with my back but now I just do downhill,” was how the Slovenian explained his rise to prominence in downhill.

Just after the TV break, came the big guns, the heroes that the fans had come to see. Bode Miller had failed to capture the lead and the crowd started to think of a home win as Michael Walchhofer started to post fast splits higher up the course. Then disaster for the Austrian fans: Coming through the Hausbergkante, Walchhofer was fast but on landing he lost control and crashed into the netting. Waiting at the top, Didier Cuche knew that something was up but when they heard he was OK, Cuche was able to joke with his physio that was with him in the Rolex timing start. Walchhofer was soon on the move and the race continued.

Werner Heel, from Italy, made a few mistakes at the top of the course and then said to himself that he had to put his head down and go for it. And go for it he did posting the fastest times on the lower section of the course. By the bottom of the course he was just behind Sporn who still led in the finish.

The atmosphere was cranked up another notch as Cuche left the start. After his win in the Super G, the great Swiss racer was the man that everyone was talking about. Cuche prefers to be the hunted, he admitted afterwards as he does not like the pressure of chasing yet this was a man in form. By the time he crossed the line at the finish, his margin over second placed Sporn was exactly the same as his margin in the Super G over Walchhofer.

A final twist in the tail came with the attack of Mario Scheiber as the last of the seeded racers. Scheiber was there or there abouts all the way down the course but a small mistake in the run in meant that it would be Cuche, Sporn and Heel who would share the podium. “I do not have any chance in the slalom,” explained Cuche “so let the party begin!”

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Anna Maria Gregorini
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Sabrina Zumkehr
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Email: sabrina@kpms.com

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