Photo: Kilde. Gröden. GEPA pictures.

SELVA DI VAL GARDENA, Italy – There were no weather challenges to threaten today’s 100th Val Gardena World Cup. Yesterday’s fog and snow gave way to clear skies, a perfect day for racing. 

Kilde dominated the full version of the classic race on the challenging Saslong for his third win out of four downhills this season.

The race began with two US racers. Bryce Bennett set the track with bib one, and Travis Ganong with bib two. Bennett experienced a few moments that caught his attention but finished and waited to see if his time would hold. He didn’t have to wait long as Ganong, skiing immediately behind him, crossed 0.84 seconds faster. Travis enjoyed the comfort of the finish area leader’s chair until bib eight, 41-year-old Johan Clarey finished 0.57 seconds faster. Clarey ended the day second.

Runner-up Clarey, who turns 42 next month, remains the oldest skier, male or female, to finish in the top three of a World Cup race.

“Being on the podium (at) 41 is amazing,” said Clarey, who was fourth in Thursday’s race. “It’s a great weekend. Hopefully, I can be as good as I am now in January, and in February in Courchevel,” added Clarey, referring to the 2023 world championships in his home country France in February.

Clarey held the lead until bib 14. Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, the World Cup downhill leader, crossed the finish. Kilde skied with his specific expertise and crossed 0.35 seconds faster than the Frenchman. It is clear when Kilde races he has all the skills needed on all tests. However, great skiers had yet to start. 

First, Marco Odermatt tied with USA’s Ganong and finished 0.92 seconds behind Kilde, then Beaver Creek podium skier Canada’s James Crawford crossed into third 0.69 seconds back. The podium looked settled until bib 27 when Italian Mattia Casse excited the home crowd with an inspiring race and delivered a podium spot to the home nation.

“It’s been a thrilling day,” Kilde said. “Amazing to be in Val Gardena, as always, the crowd from top to bottom just shouting at you. It’s just an amazing feeling crossing the finish line, especially with green numbers.”

Overall World Cup leader Odermatt missed the podium for the first time in 12 races.

“Every series has to end. I expected it would end two days ago already,” said Odermatt, whose podium streak had started in March 2022.

It was another day of Kilde’s dominance but an inspiring day for France’s Johan Clarey in second. Today’s result is Clarey’s first podium of the new season but he has visited the steps now for four consecutive seasons. But the story of the day is the Italian Casse, delivering a podium on home turf in the 100th edition of the race with bib 27. 

Today was the men’s USA speed team’s best team performance this season. Travis Ganong was tied with Odermatt in 7th, followed by Jared Goldberg in 9th. The US team finished with two athletes in the top ten for the first time this season. 

“I’ve been coming here… I think this is my 13th time or something, so I know this track really well,” said Ganong. “I took all my expectations out and relaxed and enjoyed it.”

“I was bringing a lot more intensity and a lot more of a racer’s edge,” said Goldberg. “I nailed a couple of places that I didn’t do as well the other day in the other downhill race. Up top I was just trying to have fun, I was doubling a couple of rolls on the flats that some people don’t double, they just ride over them or skip over them and I was trying to gap them. I was having a good time.”

Sam Morse, skiing with bib 39 and who finished 10th Thursday, is inspired. Morse went to the limit again today and finished in 15th place. Sam has now solidified his access to World Cup downhill starts for more than a calendar year. It also needs to be mentioned that Sam is a Stifel US Alpine Team invitee and is preparing his skis himself. Nearly unheard of on the Alpine World Cup speed circuit. 

Additionally, Bryce Bennett finished 23nd, and Ryan Cochran-Siegle, 25th, scored World Cup points. The Stifel US Alpine Team had five athletes in the top 30. Cochran-Siegle will look forward to the next speed event in Bormio, the site of his one World Cup victory. 

The Canadian showed again that they are a young team on the rise. They were led by James Crawford’s fifth place, they had a great day with three racers scoring points. Broderick Thompson, skiing with bib 39, finished right behind Morse in 16th, and Brodie Seger found himself in the 20th position. 

If you are skiing well with a late number, the Saslong is a unique opportunity to have a great day. Once again, the light advantage for the later starters played its role.

The French team had three in the top 10 and four in the top 15, with two of them starting with bibs above 30. The one who benefitted the most was France’s Adrien Theaux. He started with bib 32, charged through all the demanding terrain, and finished only 0.25 seconds off the podium in fourth. However, the move by Cyprien Sarrazin, a fellow Frenchman, was equally as impressive. Sarrazin started with bib 61 and finished in the sixth position. In all 11 racers with bibs outside the thirty finished in the top 30.

The men’s World Cup travels to nearby Alta Badia for two giant slaloms on Sunday and Monday.

The men’s speed tour now takes a break until resuming in Bormio Italy on December 26th.

Analysis of the top three and North Americans in the top 30 and top 30 results

Top 30 results Val Gardena-Gröden December 17th downhill

The Associated Press and USST contributed to this report.