WINTER OLYMPIANS GET SOME FRESH AIR
AUSTRIAN Vincent Kriechmayr topped the third and final Olympic training run as racers fine-tuned preparations for today’s blue riband downhill.
Kriechmayr, who claimed his maiden World Cup win in the Beaver Creek super-G in December and placed second in the same discipline in Garmisch last month, timed 1min 40.86sec down the Jeongseon course.
He was closely followed by fancied Norwegian duo Kjetil Jansrud and Aksel Lund Svindal.
Defending world champion Beat Feuz of Switzerland and reigning Olympic champion Matthias Mayer of Austria eased up ahead of the line, having successfully reconned the sections required.
Organisers made a late call allowing the training run to go ahead after a forecast of high winds.
“It was a bit funky, the first jump was way longer today with the tailwind,” said Svindal, the two-time World Cup overall champion.
“I definitely messed that up a little bit, but except for that it was a pretty good run.”
Svindal predicted that today’s race would not be dominated by outsiders, Mayer having won four years ago without even having won a World Cup downhill.
“If you look at all the downhill races, there are definitely some dark horses at the World Cup too, but of course in the Olympics you notice it more,” the towering Norwegian said.