Men’s Alpine Skiing World Cup continued on Saturday in Hinterstoder with a Super G, after the Giant Slalom the previous day. The heavy favorites did not do very well on the course, so it was Aleksander Aamodt Kilde who used the opportunity and scored his second win of his breakthrough season.

Kilde’s Dream Day

Kilde, whose best result in Super G so far was third place from Val Gardena last December, where Norwegians celebrated triple victory. This time it was Kilde’s time to shine, as Aksel Lund Svindal is sidelined because of an injury and Kjetil Jansrud was unable to finish the run without major mistakes. Bib number 12 was the lucky number for Kilde today as he came into the finish area with 0.24 seconds faster time than the then-leader Boštjan Kline. Despite many favorites still left on the start, none of them were able to beat Kilde’s time.

It is safe to say Kilde might not be Kline’s very favorite person in the world. This is Kline’s second podium and second time he was only beaten by Kilde. This result was a repeat of the Downhill race in Garmisch Partenkirchen that happened less than a month ago. But Kline can still be thrilled with the result as this is Slovenia’s best result in men’s Super G in the history of the sport.

Despite not being a specialist for speed disciplines, Marcel Hirscher is proving time and time again he can compete with the best in Super G. Not just competitive, he already won the Super G in Beaver Creek earlier in the season. This was Hirscher’s second podium of the weekend, after being second on Friday’s Giant Slalom race. He will also be a major contender for the win in another Giant Slalom tomorrow.

Happy winners on the podium Source: Stanko Gruden/Agence Zoom/Getty Images Europe
Source: Stanko Gruden/Agence Zoom/Getty Images Europe

Bad Day For The Favorites

However, many favorites of the day disappointed. Jansrud, one of the favorites for the Super G World Cup globe was only ninth, while the reigning Super G World Champion Hannes Reichelt recorded the 16th time of the race. He was sharing the position with another favorite, Italian Dominik Paris, who has most likely now lost the chance to fight for the Super G globe.

The Fight For Globe Nearing End

The Super G Standings leader Svindal has been injured for more than a month, but he is still in first position for the globe. Sadly for him, he will be unable to compete until the end of the season. This means Super G is up for grabs for about ten racers. However, the races today mixed the rankings quite significantly. Kilde managed to jump a bit in front of his rivals with today’s win, only 25 points behind Svindal. Third on the standings, Vincent Kriechmayr, who was just under the podium today, skiing into the fourth position is still 92 points away from Svindal. 67 points behind Kilde, which could prove crucial with only two races to go. Carlo Janka, fourth on the standings is 103 points away from Svindal and fifth, Hirscher, 106 points away. Anything can still change, but could Kilde handle the pressure in his home race in Kvitfjell and season-end race in St. Moritz to get his first small discipline globe? I guess only time will tell.

Hinderstoder Super G Results:

1. Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (NOR) – 1:29.89
2. Boštjan Kline (SLO) – +0.24
3. Marcel Hirscher (AUT) – +0.35
4. Vincent Kriechmayr (AUT) – +0.49
5. Carlo Janka (SUI) – +0.96

2016 Alpine World Cup Super G Standings (6/8):

1. Aksel Lund Svindal (NOR) – 310 points
2. Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (NOR) – 285 points
3. Vincent Kriechmayr (AUT) – 218 points
4. Carlo Janka (SUI) – 207 points
5. Marcel Hirscher (AUT) – 204 points

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About the author
Jon Jeraj
Student from Slovenia, who accidentally stumbled upon Alpine Skiing on his TV channel as a child and never again missed a single race.