The Tignes skier climbs on the second step of the podium of the second weekend descent in Kitzbühel (Austria) on Saturday, behind the Norwegian Alexander Aamodt Kilde, Saturday.
By Hortense Leblanc
Eternal Johan Clarey. At 42, the Frenchman occupied the leader of the leader for a few minutes and even glimpsed a first victory in the World Cup on Saturday January 21, but his hopes were quickly swept by Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, unleashed on the famous and terrifying track Streif in Kitzbühel. The Norwegian won in 1 ’56 “90, nearly seven tenths before the Tignes skier.
Under the snow and on the most mythical descent of the World Cup, Johan Clarey still offered beautiful emotions to French ski fans. The Tignes skier, bib 12, author of a very good start, knew how to make his speed speak to light green with each intermediary and rally the finish line in 1 ’57 “85, three tenths faster than the American Travis Ganong, who previously led the dance, and who will finally finish third.
But two bibs later, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, who continues to stack the victories since his return to competition after a serious knee injury in the fall of 2021, skied perfection and makes her science speak of the crossroads and trajectories.
🤩 Exceptional Johan Clarey !! At 41, the French skier made a superb descent to Kitzbühel! That is not enough… https://t.co/1ihzli3mqi
“I felt pretty good, I pushed much stronger than yesterday, but you don’t really know if you are fast or not. Seeing green on arrival is the best feeling. I am super happy to have been able to do this performance and be on the podium, “reacted Johan Clarey at the microphone of Eurosport.
Kitzbühel succeeds
With this second place, the Olympic vice-champion in Beijing offers an eleventh podium in the World Cup career, the fifth in Kitzbühel. The Austrian station is his garden: the Frenchman, who still runs after his first victory in the Alpine skiing World Cup, had already taken second place in the descent into Tyrol a year ago.
eighteenth during the first descent Friday, Johan Clarey, who had skipped the stage of Wengen (Switzerland) a week earlier for personal reasons, recovered on Saturday to offer himself a second Podium this season after its second place in Val Gardena in Italy on the same discipline. A good omen before the world ski ski worlds, from February 6 to 19, at home, in Courchevel and Méribel.
Leader in the discipline of the descent, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde confirms its second place in General classification of the World Cup . The Norwegian even performs an excellent accounting operation on Saturday in the Austrian station by getting closer to the leader, the Swiss Marco Odermatt, who did not take part in the descent of the day, hit in the knee after a trip Friday.