Kvitfjell – Downhill Gentlemen – Inseparable, Niels Hintermann and Cameron Alexander open their downhill charts

Niels Hintermann and Cameron Alexander created a sensation by sharing the lead in the first of two downhill runs at Kvitfjell. Starting with bib number 17, the 26-year-old Swiss was the first to shake up a hierarchy that seemed frozen to win ahead of Mattias Mayer (+0”12) and Beat Feuz (+0”19). But the bomb of the day was to follow almost an hour later with the Canadian Cameron Alexander, who started with bib number 39, who joined him on the top step of the podium! Note the sixth place of Johan Clarey, first Frenchman.

At 24, Canadian Cameron Alexander had never done better than tenth place in the World Cup downhill. It was also on this same Norwegian track in 2020. The surprise is all the same less for Niels Hintermann, who had already won in the World Cup, the combined of Wengen in 2017. In speed, he had signed this winter two third places in Val Gardena and Bormio.

Clarey still alone qualified for the finals

By pocketing the 100 points promised to the winner, he took 6th place in the ranking of a very tight specialty. In the lead, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, is three points ahead of Beat Feuz and twenty-eight more than Matthias Mayer. Two runs from the end of the World Cup, the finish promises to be daunting. Starting with the second race this Saturday at Kvitfjell (11:30 a.m.).

The Swiss has two points more than Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, and fifteen more than Matthias Mayer. Two runs from the end of the World Cup, the finish promises to be daunting. Starting with the second race this Saturday at Kvitfjell (11:30 a.m.).

Long in the Top 5, Johan Clarey, finally sixth, should have no regrets. The Frenchman, silver medalist in the downhill at the Olympic Games, finished 0″57 from the winners and 0″38 from the podium. The Habs played placed with Johan Clarey (6), Matthieu Bailet (19), Maxence Muzaton (21) and even Sam Alphand (23). Blaise Giezendanner only finished 27th and is losing ground in the race for the first 25 qualifying places for the Courchel-Méribel finals: the Chamonix skier is now 28th overall, just behind Matthieu Bailet. Both will have to make a success of this Saturday so as not to miss the great mass of Courchel-Méribel in ten days.