Home victory for Thomas Dressen
Feb 01, 2020·Alpine Skiing
Thomas Dressen (GER) is the king of Garmisch-Partenkirchen! The German speed skier claims his fourth Downhill World Cup victory and makes the crowd go wild, 28 years after the last German - Markus Wasmeier - won the downhill in the German venue.
Dressen opened the race with bib 1 and skied a nearly perfect Downhill. Once he sat in the leader's seat, he never got up again. The German broke out in a cold sweat as top athletes like Beat Feuz, Aleksander Kilde and Vincent Kriechmayr tried to attack the first position through their performances. Thanks to a very fast last section however, no one was able to take the victory away from the German.
It's a dream come true for the guy from Mittenwald, who claims his second Downhill victory of the season. In front of his own fans, it's a victory that means even more for Dressen.
Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (NOR) performed amazingly well, as he often did this season and closed in second place (+0.16s). The Norwegian was very fast in the middle section, but not fast enough through the last gates to claim the first victory of the season. Today's results grants Kilde the first Downhill podium of the season and the current second position in the overall standings.
Johan Clarey (FRA) is the third protagonist of the day. The 39-year-old French skier seems to get better with age and keeps up the momentum, finishing third, just 0.01s behind Kilde.
Today's Downhill race in Garmisch-Partenkirchen was the last official race of great champion Peter Fill (ITA). The Italian veteran had announced in Kitzbühel his intention to step back after the German Downhill and today he celebrated his immense career with friends, teammates and family. His last run was a relaxed one, where Fill could look back at all the best moments in his career and wave to coaches and fans on his way to the finish line.
"Skiing was my life for so many years, so it's very hard to say stop, but it feels like the right decision right now", said Fill.
Second day of competitions scheduled on Sunday in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, with the best Giant Slalom athletes ready to battle on the Kandahar.
