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Kitzbühel (Austria) (AFP) – Norway’s 2020 general World Cup champion Aleksander Aamodt Kilde is aiming to maintain his easy ethos of profitable snowboarding ticking over into subsequent month’s Beijing Olympics.
The in-form Kilde has adopted up on his breakthrough season with extra spectacular shows this yr, making up for the absence of a number of medal-winning ‘Attacking Viking’ teammates Aksel Lund Svindal (retired) and Kjetil Jansrud (injured).
December noticed Kilde win the Beaver Creek super-G and downhill in addition to tasting success in Italy with victories within the Val Gardena super-G and Bormio downhill.
Final week, the 29-year-old completed second within the Wengen super-G earlier than rebounding to take the downhill win.
He was overwhelmed to victory in Wengen by Swiss rival Marco Odermatt, who additionally leads the present World Cup general standings.
Kilde, one half of alpine snowboarding’s golden couple together with his girlfriend, US star Mikaela Shiffrin, stays upbeat about his method to snowboarding.
“Calm down, eat effectively and keep on my skis!” Kilde stated of his run-in to the February 4-20 Beijing Olympics.
“It has been an unbelievable season, I simply hope to deliver that into the Olympics and deal with having enjoyable.”
His earlier finest at an Olympics was thirteenth within the super-G in each the 2014 Sochi Video games and 4 years later in Pyeongchang.
At every outing Kilde was usurped by Svindal, Olympic downhill champion in Pyeongchang in a race through which he completed fifteenth, and Jansrud, super-G winner in Sochi and downhill silver medallist in 2018.
“I keep in mind that downhill being such an incredible day for the group,” stated Kilde, who got here in thirty ninth in Thursday’s coaching run within the Austrian resort the place Covid-19 restrictions means crowds have been reduce from the traditional tens of 1000’s to only 1,000.
Veterans to the fore
Italy’s Christof Innerhofer, who has two earlier podium finishes within the super-G in Kitzbuehel, topped coaching with 1min 10.45sec down a shortened Streif course.
As snow fell, the veteran Italian was adopted by 41-year-old Frenchman Johan Clarey, the elder statesman of the World Cup circuit, and Switzerland’s Niels Hintermann.
“Kitzbuehel is at all times particular, it is fairly difficult,” Kilde stated.
“It is going to be a good race. I hope the climate is secure for a good race. I am prepared for what’s coming.”
A forecast of heavy snow has already seen the slalom superior from its ordinary Sunday spot to Saturday, with the 2 downhills now to be held on Friday and Sunday.
“It’s extremely powerful, additionally with the climate,” Odermatt stated of the notoriously testing Streif course on Kitzbuehel’s Hahnenkamm mountain.
Steps have been taken this yr to scale back the danger across the Hausberg soar, forcing racers right into a extra uniform line with a wider radius, marginally chopping pace and the scale of the exit soar.
It has not sat effectively with all skiers, who enjoyment of managing their private danger administration on a course that has been the scene of many ugly crashes over time.
“For the general public to see the danger issue is vital,” contended American veteran Steve Nyman.
© 2022 AFP
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