ALPINE SKI. Beat Feuz regained the lead in the fight for the Overall World Cup crown after finishing joint first in the first Super-G competition raced this afternoon in Kvitfjell, Norway, sharing honours with Austria's Klaus Kroell as both men clocked one minute and 32.35 seconds, increasing the suspense in the race for the general standings.

Norway’s Kjetil Jansrud came in a close 3rd, only 3/00 of a second adrift to score his first ever podium finish in a speed event. The giant slalom specialist came 7/100 in front of Switzerland’s veteran Didier Cuche and 14/100 ahead of his teammate Aksel Lund Svindal.

Out of sorts in recent weeks, Feuz, made the most of the absence of his two main rivals to lead now Austria's Marcel Hirscher by five points and Croatian Ivica Kostelic by 97 in the Overall classification with only four races left prior the Finals in Schladming, Austria.

Hirscher is not racing in Kvitfjell and injured Kostelic is not expected back in action before next weekend in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia. That leaves Feuz, 24, two more great occasions - Saturday's downhill and Sunday's Super-G - to score ‘big’ points while his opponents are absent.

A big surprise for Beat Feuz.

"After the downhill practice and my knee injury at Moscow, this was totally unexpected," said Feuz, who took advantage of a much harder course than in previous days. "It's a big surprise but it's a great one as it puts me back on course in both the Overall World Cup and in the Super-G standings, he added after his fourth victory of the season. Last week, the 25-year-old only finished 20th and 10th in the two Super-G races held in Crans-Montana, losing precious points on Hirscher on the Swiss slope covered with spring snow.

“The snow conditions where difficult for me last week in Crans-Montana, the snow was way too soft for me,” he also explained after his victory. “Here I felt much more comfortable when I pushed hard on my skis in the turns. It made a huge difference for me. I feel very relaxed now and I’m looking forward for the coming races here with great confidence. It will be very fun. I never dreamed at the season start to be in such a position two weeks prior the end of the World Cup season.”

“I didn’t do so well in training this week, but I know and like that course a lot. It’s really nice to be here, the landscape is beautiful and it’s very quiet too.”

Earlier this season Feuz already beat the rest of the field in a Super-G at Val Gardena, where he came ahead of established Super-G specialists as USA’s Bode Miller and Svindal. Miller, who sustained a knee injury last month during the pre-Olympic races at nearby Sochi, was not racing in Norway as he has decided last week to end his season to rest and eventually undergo another arthroscopic surgery in the US. 

Second win for Kroell in Norway.

Feuz and Kroell know the course well having both earned their first World Cup downhill victories on it in recent years. The Austrian also finished 2nd in a Super-G here last winter. "I don't mind being joint first," said Kroell, also a winner in a downhill at Chamonix, France, last month. "You get the same number of points and the same bonus. This is a great boost ahead of tomorrow's competition as the downhill World Cup remains my big goal."

Kroell is second in the downhill standings, 26 points behind Didier Cuche. Norwegian Kjetil Jansrud remains the skier to beat in that second speed event here after dominating the two training runs on the same Olympiabakken course used since 1993 on the World Cup tour.

His compatriot Aksel Lund Svindal retained a two-point lead over Swiss Cuche in the Super-G World Cup standings with his 5th place. Feuz is now 3rd in this classification 25 points back while Kroell sits in 4th place with a more important delay of 79 points. Canada’s Jan Hudec, only 13th today lost his spot among the best 3 and is in 5th place, 103 points back.

PkL
FISalpine.com
Friday 2 March 2012