Four times is how often Erik Guay was on the podium in Val Gardena/Gröden, but never had he won. Which explains his excitement with today’s gold. “This is clearly a very special win for me. I already skied well here last year but then Nyman and Perko took my gold.�  Hear what else the racers had to say about today’s race on the Saslong.

There is one good thing for Dominik Paris’ injury during this week’s training on the Saslong. It gave him the opportunity to more closely enjoy his fan club. The duo Klotz and Paris cheering “Heilousn� came with wine, speck and a music band and for this they were rewarded the first prize once again.

“Today was one of the best editions of the race in Val Gardena/Gröden.� This is what a beaming Stefania Demetz, CEO of the ski races in the valley, had to say at termination of the race. Weather has been a tricky factor in the last few years, but today was gorgeous.

The World Cup Downhill has been taking place on the Saslong. Erik Guay is leading ahead of Kjetil Jansrud and Johan Clarey. after 40 racers have started.

Will Aksel Lund Svindal be able to finally capture a Downhill victory after today’s Super-G win and two very convincing training runs? We will know more when he finishes tomorrow’s race. But not all will have been decided by then, as Eric Guay (bib 21) has shown in the two training runs that he is certainly ready to challenge Svindal.

Aksel Lund Svindal (NOR) going for the third time: The Super-G dominator of the last decade has once again confirmed his exceptional talent in this specialty by winning his third Super-G gold. The other victories were captured in 2009 and 2012. Jan Hudec (CAN; 58/100 secs) and Adrien Theaux (FRA; 91/100 secs) complete the podium. A little less stellar were the performances by the Italian team with the fastest Christof Innerhofer placing 9th.

Red Bull is front and center on today’s events on and off the Saslong course.
Aksel Lund Svindal (NOR) and Erik Guay (CAN) are two Red Bull racers who have been dominating the Saslong course. The two will also play a key role in tomorrow’s race bringing their shared sponsor to our attention. In addition, Red Bull will also take center stage off the course with a spectacular air show featuring the Flying Bulls shortly before the start of the Downhill race. 

Overall satisfied is how Aksel Lund Svincal commented his victorious run on the Saslong: “I managed a great race top to bottom�. You can read and hear what else Svindal and all the others had to say about today’s event on the Saslong.

It’s hard to believe but Peter Runggaldier will be 45 in a few days on 29th December. The former world-class skier is still active in sport but has swapped his downhill skis for a mountain bike and touring skis.

Tomorrow, Saturday, from 12.15, not only the best downhillers in the world will be flying over the Camel Humps, the Wall as well as the Ciaslat, but even the Red Bull helicopter squadron.

Top contender Aksel Lund Svindal (NOR) will tackle the Saslong in the Super-G on Friday with start number 19. The first European speed race of the World Cup season will be opened by Carlo Janka (SUI) at 12.15, Bode Miller (USA) will be the second at the start. The first of the Italian team is Peter Fill with start number 8.

Tomorrow, Friday 20th December, things will really get going! It’s time for the Super-G which will kick off at 12.15. From 11 am onwards there will be all sorts of entertainment including music with DJ Ondy and games down in the finish area of the Saslong.

For the past four years the International Ski Federation FIS and the protector manufacturer Dainese have been working on a new airbag safety system for the downhillers. Today on the World Cup course in Val Gardena the system was tested for the first time by two athletes, the South Tyrolean Werner Heel and the Canadian Jan Hudec.

The fastest of the first training run have also put their mark on the second training for the World Cup Downhill on the Saslong: Yesterday, Aksel Lund Svindal (NOR) was 1st ahead of Erik Guay (CAN), today, the Canadian has reversed the order and left the leader of the World Cup, Svindal, lagging behind by 0.22 seconds. Peter Fill was surprisingly strong today (+0.98 secs). The local hero placed 4th behind Manuel Osborne-Paradis (CAN; +0.72 secs).

Svindal ahead of Guay, Guay ahead of Svindal: the results of the two training runs on the Saslong leave no doubt as to who the top favourites are for the downhill on Saturday. Here the impressions of the racers after today’s training run.

300 journalists, cameramen and photographers are reporting on the World Cup races in Val Gardena this year. The Super-G will be broadcast live tomorrow, Friday 20th December, on ORF 1 and SRF 2 as well as in Germany on the Internet via ZDF. On Saturday, 21st December, ORF 1, SRF 2 and ZDF will broadcast the downhill direclty. Eurosport will also be broadcasting both races live.

Aksel Lund Svindal (NOR), the fastest in today’s training run on the Saslong, will go into tomorrow’s training run with start number 19. The training run tomorrow, Thursday 19th December, will start at 12.15. The first skier to hit the course will be the Slovenian Andrej Sporn. It’s probably all over for Dominik Paris after today’s fall.

Aksel Lund Svindal (NOR; 1:58:07 minutes) before Erik Guay (CAN; +0.41 seconds): In the first training run on the Saslong today the same two racers who dominated the first training last year were ahead again. But Svindal knows: A training run is not a race, after all he is still waiting for his first downhill victory here in Val Gardena. Dominik Paris (ITA) caused the first “highlight� of the day: The winner of Lake Louise fell in the Ciaslat meadow, but was able to ski down to the finish and “only� suffered minor bruising.

An impressive Norwegian, optimistic Italians, trailing Austrians, a Swiss problem child and a wimp from Luxembourg: The German online media are pretty international in their headlines of the first training day in Val Gardena. There’s no doubt about who the impressive Norwegian is: There’s (almost) no way around Aksel Lund Svindal in the Val Gardena training runs these last years. After finishing in pole position last year, Svindal kept the competition at bay even today.