TNT Sports
Cyprien Sarrazin storms to downhill victory in Kitzbuehel to boost downhill crystal globe chances, Marco Odermatt third
By
Published 19/01/2024 at 17:37 GMT
Cyprien Sarrazin claimed his third World Cup victory of the season and ranks alongside Luc Alphand and Jean Claude-Killy as only the third Frenchman to win a downhill race on the Kitzbuehel course. Luc Alphand was there to congratulate the 29-year-old after the race and heaped praise on Sarrazin for bringing joy to French skiing. "I finished with my heart," said Sarrazin.
Watch highlights as Sarrazin takes World Cup downhill victory in Kitzbuehel
Video credit: TNT Sports
Cyprien Sarrazin boosted his chances of claiming the downhill crystal globe with victory in Kitzbuehel.
The Frenchman clocked a time of 1:55.75 to clinch the win by 0.05 seconds ahead of Italy's Florian Schieder in Austria, with current overall and downhill leader Marco Odermatt third, 0.34 seconds behind Sarrazin.
The victory was Sarrazin's third of the World Cup season, and second in downhill, with maximum points moving him 26 points behind Odermatt in the downhill discipline standings with five events still to go, including another in Kitzbuehel and two on home snow in Chamonix in February.
Odermatt continues to dominate the overall World Cup standings, with the Swiss skier boasting a 516-point lead at the top ahead of Sarrazin, with Austria's Marco Schwarz in third.
Speaking after his victory, Sarrazin said: "It was not a perfect run, not an amazing run, but I finished with my heart,” in quotes published by fis-ski.com
“I knew that I had some mistakes and knew that I finished very fast, and that’s what I did.
“My last time here I crashed into the nets and this time when I crossed the finish, I thought this is a victory for me.
“I didn’t feel really good at the top, but at the bottom I was physically really good and I said ‘push, push’ to the finish line.”
It was a proud day for the 29-year-old, who became the third Frenchman to win a downhill race at Kitzbuehel, following in the footsteps of two-time winner Luc Alphand and Jean Claude-Killy.
In emotional scenes, Alphand celebrated alongside Sarrazin after the race.
“He is spreading joy, he’s spreading happiness and first of all I’m happy for him – he deserved it,” Alphand added.
“For French skiing, this is a fantastic day and I’m happy to give him the torch.”
- - -
Stream the winter sports season live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com
Related Topics
Advertisement
Advertisement