Beat Feuz wins the Lauberhorn Downhill 2020

In bright weather, the American Bryce Benett opens the shortened downhill. The first potential candidate for the podium is the Austrian Max Franz, who starts the race with the number 2, but he catches the Brüggli-S badly, which he completely blows. Consequence at the finish: 2.23 seconds behind Benett.

Mauro Caviezel, who was unfortunate to drop out of yesterday's race but has a good chance of triumph as the two-time best skier in training, is already the Swiss hope in the race with number 3. He starts already at the first intermediate time with a lead of 0.15 seconds and extends it continuously until the finish until he takes the lead with 0.45 seconds ahead of Benett.

German downhill ace Thomas Dressen starts the race with the number 5 and he really is always good for a win. But at the first intermediate time the number lights up red: a minimal +0.06 seconds behind. The fight with Caviezel remains close, after all he is still 0.09 seconds behind at the fourth intermediate time, but he catches the finish S very well and takes the lead by 0.11 seconds. For Caviezel this was a short lead joy.

Dominik Paris enters the race with the starting number. He is currently the downhill dominator, but he never made it onto the podium on the Lauberhorn, so doubts are high as to whether he could pull it off this time. After a long jump over the Hundschopf, the intermediate time lights up red: a minimal 0.01 seconds behind Dressen. The Kernen-S he skis mediocre, but thanks to his good shape and his weight he catches up minimally from intermediate time to intermediate time and heads for the finish-S with a lead of 0.11 seconds and at the finish the number lights up green. He takes the lead with 0.02 seconds ahead of Thomas Dressen. Well, who says it!

After Steven Nyman, Beat Feuz enters the race with the number 9. The two-time Lauberhorn winner is considered the top favorite. At the first intermediate time the number lights up green and shows a small lead of 0.05 seconds, which means nothing yet. But when Feuz enters the Brüggli-S with the fastest entry speed of 110.3km/h and comes out with an exit speed of 84.2 km/h, it is clear to everyone that a new best mark will now light up and voila: An impressive 0.39 seconds lead at the intermediate time is the result. And the split times continue to light up with a 0.29-second lead until he crosses the finish line with the same margin and takes the lead. He may take his place on the thorn, but the story is not yet eaten, there are still Mayer and Kriechmayr waiting at the top.

After Othmar Striedinger, yesterday's downhill winner Matthias Mayer starts the race in top form, but 0.16 seconds behind at the first intermediate time is a sign that he probably won't quite make it this time. He skis the Brüggli-S with a strong speed (108.7 km/h in/85.8 km/h out), but the gap grows a bit. At the finish he has to admit defeat with a gap of 0.38 seconds. Now one of the great Austrian hopes is lost.

Now everyone is hoping for compatriot Vincent Kriechmayr, who starts the race with bib number 13, but 13 does not bring him any luck. Although he starts with a small lead of 0.09 seconds at the first intermediate time after a great jump from Hundschopf, he is too low in Canadian Corner and he fails the Kernen-S (105.5 km/h in/ 81.2 km/h out), which is why he loses a massive amount of time and has to admit defeat by 0.93 seconds at the finish; too bad for the likeable Austrian, but the run was just not good enough this time.

Now there are not many who can dispute Feuz's victory, but perhaps one more, showcase athlete Aleksander Aamodt Kilde. As usual, the well-trained Norwegian knows nothing and plunges courageously over the dog's head and is rewarded with an impressive lead of 0.41 seconds at the first intermediate time. But the unintentional acrobatic performance at Canadian Corner is perhaps too much of a good thing. He still goes through the Brüggli-S quite well (108.5 km/h in, 82.2 km/h out), but there it becomes clear, he has already lost something thanks to his overconfidence. With a gap of 0.14 seconds at the second intermediate time he is still threateningly close to Feuz, but it remains a gap of 0.17 seconds until the fourth intermediate time. He can't have managed the finish S so well, because a gap of 0.48 seconds lights up at the finish, so he has robbed himself of a possible victory with the acrobatic performance after the Minschkante.

Although Beat Feuz wants to wait for the first 30 racers before he considers himself the winner, it is clear that this is his victory today and thus the third victory at the Lauberhorn Downhill 2020.