Kriechmayr Wins Epic Wengen Downhill

Wengen, Switzerland, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Jan, 2019 ) :Austria's Vincent Kriechmayr won the iconic World Cup downhill at the Swiss resort of Wengen on Saturday, edging home hope Beat Feuz into second at a barnstorming, daredevil event.

In bright sunshine and in front of vast crowds on the hair-raising 4.27km run, Kriechmayr timed 2min 28.36sec and hit top speeds of around 140km/h on the fearsome Lauberhorn slopes.

It was enough to edge out Feuz by 0.14sec to claim the fourth win of Kriechmayr's career and climb to second in the downhill standings, but he still trails the Swiss by almost 100 points.

"I'm really proud. It means a lot (to win here)," said Kriechmayr.

"It's my first victory in a classic downhill race. It's the second toughest after Kitzbuehel and I'm really proud to be with the guys on the podium.

" Feuz elicited the loudest cheers of the afternoon when he briefly took the lead.

"I didn't feel that well actually and made some mistakes at key moments. Anyways, Kriechmayr put in a fabulous run," the Swiss said.

Norwegian Aleksander Aamodt Kilde finished third while Olympic champion Aksel Lund Svindal, a two-time former overall World Cup winner, came fourth.

The race was held up for over 15 minutes when Italy's Emanuele Buzzi flew over the line in sixth but fell awkwardly and got stuck under hoardings right beneath the spectators at the finish line.

The 27-year-old Kriechmayr is the fifth different winner in five downhill races this season.

Fans of the fast slopes will be eagerly awaiting next week's events as well as the World Cup visits Kitzbuehel in Austria, home to the most feared piste in skiing.