It’s that time of year again when the world’s greatest Alpine racers descend on the town of Kitzbühel in Austria to take part in the prestigious Hahnenkammrennen. Today it was all about the Downhill and, as usual, there was plenty of drama…
Crowds packed the Streif, the most famous slope on the mountain of Hahnenkamm today to catch all the downhill action. Widely regarded as the most demanding course on the World Cup circuit, it today played host to the great and the good as they battled to be crowned 2012 champion.
After a late start caused by bad weather and a last-minute relocation to an older racing track, the challenge began and, in the end, it was won by Didier Cuche. The veteran Swiss skier, who on Thursday announced his retirement at the end of this season, showed that he still has what it takes with a victory that has broken all records. The first athlete to triumph five times on the Streif and now officially the oldest winner of the Kitzbühel Downhill, Cuche has once again proved his credentials as one of the greatest downhillers of all time.
Second place in the race classic went to Tyrolean skier Romed Baumann: “The result is simply sensational for me,” said the athlete from Hochfilzen. “As a young boy I watched the Streif from the sidelines and dreamed of standing on the winner’s podium one day. It’s fantastic that I have managed to achieve this, especially in Kitzbühel.”
Third place went to Klaus Kröll – his third such podium ranking this season. The Alpine athlete from Styria in Austria was also third in the 2009 Kitzbühel Downhill.
Red Bull-backed racers Erik Guay and Aksel Lund Svindal finished the race placed 11th and 14th respectively.
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