Second round of the world championships and second medal for Alexis Pinturault. After his title on the combined Tuesday, February 7, during the Worlds which take place at his home, in Courchevel (Savoie), the Frenchman won the bronze medal on the super-G, Thursday, February 9. The Canadian James Crawford created a surprise by winning ahead of the Norwegian Aleksander Aamodt Kilde with a one-hundredth lead.
Outsider after his victory in the combined, during which he had the best time of the super-G round, Alexis Pinturault once again achieved a good performance on the Eclipse track. “It was a fast super-G, three seconds less than the day of the combinedhe reacted to the microphone of France Télévisions after his visit. It is perhaps an advantage for the downhillers, the big guys. But I think I’m having a good run. »
Unrecognizable last season, during which he had, by his own admission, “hit rock bottom”, Alexis Pinturault regains his splendour. The start of winter had not been very encouraging for the Savoyard, however, with only one podium in the World Cup – already in super-G – in Beaver Creek (United States). Before starting “his” world championships, the 31-year-old skier even simply mentioned ” a medal “ as the objective of this fortnight.
James Crawford surprise winner
Already a bronze medalist in the discipline at the last Worlds in Cortina d’Ampezzo (Italy) in 2021, Alexis Pinturault was overtaken by Aleksander Aamodt Kilde and James Crawford, who won to everyone’s surprise with… just one hundredth ahead of the Norwegian. “It’s part of the game, but I still won my first medal [aux championnats du monde]relativized Kilde on France Télévisions, he who had to forfeit the Worlds two years ago because of a serious knee injury. I had fun. Now I’ll focus on what’s next. »
It is also the first medal – and the first world title – for James Crawford, who had not done better than a sixth place in the super-G this season. Behind the Norwegian at all the intermediates, the 25-year-old Canadian caught up on the last part of the race, which he finished in a cannonball. Bronze medalist in the combined at the Beijing Olympics last year, he was on the podium twice in the World Cup this season, during the descents of Bormio (Italy) and Beaver Creek (United States).
The big favourite, Marco Odermatt, finished at the foot of the podium and will still have to wait to win a first medal at the world championships. “It’s a bit sad to finish fourth when you come to win gold, but it wasn’t a bad run on my part”reacted, on France Télévisions, the Swiss, dominating this season with four victories (in six races) in the discipline.
The world championships continue this weekend with the women’s downhill on Saturday and the men’s downhill on Sunday, both at 11 a.m.