Val Gardena: Cuche wins DH training run

VAL GARDENA, Italy — Didier Cuche of Switzerland was fastest in Wednesday's first training session for a World Cup downhill.

VAL GARDENA, Italy — Didier Cuche of Switzerland was fastest in Wednesday's first training session for a World Cup downhill.
    Cuche charged down the 2.1-mile Saslong course in 1 minute, 59.10 seconds. Cuche is third in the overall standings and has finished in the top 10 in all four races he's completed this season.
    Patrik Jaerbyn of Sweden was second, 0.28 seconds behind, and Hans Grugger of Austria trailed by 0.37 for third in near perfect conditions.
    Another training session is scheduled for Thursday, followed by a super G race Friday and the downhill Saturday.
    Overall World Cup leader Aksel Lund Svindal was fourth and Olympic gold medalist Antoine Deneriaz tied with Michael Walchhofer for sixth.
    Deneriaz won downhills here in 2002 and 2003. Walchhofer has four podium finishes on the Saslong, including a super-G victory two years ago.
    Last season's winner, Marco Buechel, was 19th and Bode Miller, who has never finished on the podium here, placed 27th.
    Stefan Guay of Canada fell at the camel bumps section and was taken by helicopter to a hospital in nearby Bolzano.
    “We don’t know the extent of his injury yet but we suspect he might have pulled ligaments in his knee,” Canadian coach Lionel Finance said.
    The 20-year-old Guay won two NorAm Cup downhills in Lake Louise, Alberta, last week and was racing a World Cup downhill in Europe for the first time.
    American Steve Nyman also crashed in the flat section at the top of the course, although the U.S. team said he was OK.

— The Associated Press