Jansrud feels well in his home turf in Kvitfjell

After the cancellation of yesterday’s training due to strong wind in Kvitfjell, the replacement downhill meant to be held on Friday had to be cancelled as well, in order to allow a full training run. So today was the day of the first and only downhill training in the Norwegian venue.

Kjetil Jansrud could already celebrate not less than seven wins in Kvitfjell and he’s the one who clocked the fastest time in today’s training run, making clear that he’s a serious contender for the races on the week-end. This season, the local favorite struggled to find the pace after his win in the SG in Lake Louise, especially in downhill, but in Åre he made his comeback at the very top of the podium, claiming his first World Champion gold medal.

Behind Jansrud, another Norwegian impressed with a strong training run. It’s Adrian Smiseth Sejersted. The young gun is feeling well in Kvitfjell and earned a career best result on this course last season with a 4th place in the super-g. So far, his downhill performances didn’t match his super-g skiing, but maybe that the support of his home crowd and the confidence of a 14th place at the World Ski Championships in Åre will help him surpass himself and improve his personal best.

With Hannes Reichelt and Matthias Mayer, two Austrians are ranked behind the Norwegian duo. Reichelt suffered a severe crash and a concussion in the alpine combined in Bansko, but after a short break he is now back on the Tour and seems ready to fight for another podium in Kvitfjell, where he won the downhill in 2015. Double Olympic Champion Matthias Mayer is fast this season and proved it in many training runs. However, he’s made mistakes on race days and a 2nd place in the super-g in Bormio is his only podium this season.

Tomorrow, the men’s Audi FIS Ski World Cup downhill from Kvitfjell 2019 will be held at 10:00.