The Fort Worth Press - Relax, eat well, don't fall!: Kilde eyes pre-Olympic Kitzbuehel boost

USD -
AED 3.672965
AFN 69.901592
ALL 94.336007
AMD 393.250352
ANG 1.79454
AOA 917.999736
ARS 1022.24017
AUD 1.598299
AWG 1.8
AZN 1.700135
BAM 1.874072
BBD 2.010521
BDT 118.990811
BGN 1.87498
BHD 0.377101
BIF 2943.915831
BMD 1
BND 1.352325
BOB 6.880923
BRL 6.081899
BSD 0.995774
BTN 84.654229
BWP 13.762804
BYN 3.258689
BYR 19600
BZD 2.00161
CAD 1.43793
CDF 2869.999719
CHF 0.89529
CLF 0.035848
CLP 989.150101
CNY 7.299297
CNH 7.306595
COP 4390
CRC 502.39074
CUC 1
CUP 26.5
CVE 105.658298
CZK 24.129877
DJF 177.317197
DKK 7.16211
DOP 60.635678
DZD 134.812974
EGP 50.979197
ERN 15
ETB 124.126733
EUR 0.960299
FJD 2.315968
FKP 0.791982
GBP 0.79518
GEL 2.810113
GGP 0.791982
GHS 14.637652
GIP 0.791982
GMD 72.000226
GNF 8602.830559
GTQ 7.672406
GYD 208.324949
HKD 7.770655
HNL 25.276684
HRK 7.172906
HTG 130.26897
HUF 397.939923
IDR 16188.3
ILS 3.638125
IMP 0.791982
INR 85.09705
IQD 1304.414484
IRR 42087.497632
ISK 139.340162
JEP 0.791982
JMD 155.795747
JOD 0.7092
JPY 156.585008
KES 129.350146
KGS 86.999671
KHR 4001.494811
KMF 466.12498
KPW 899.999441
KRW 1452.144964
KWD 0.30806
KYD 0.829812
KZT 522.944395
LAK 21794.540106
LBP 89168.367494
LKR 292.350591
LRD 180.728433
LSL 18.332231
LTL 2.95274
LVL 0.60489
LYD 4.892632
MAD 10.021656
MDL 18.341143
MGA 4698.115196
MKD 59.061788
MMK 3247.960992
MNT 3397.99987
MOP 7.97156
MRU 39.601
MUR 46.850053
MVR 15.406202
MWK 1726.205872
MXN 20.075235
MYR 4.489502
MZN 63.903729
NAD 18.332231
NGN 1546.449647
NIO 36.642041
NOK 11.30917
NPR 135.44715
NZD 1.76813
OMR 0.384998
PAB 0.995774
PEN 3.707899
PGK 4.037907
PHP 58.558997
PKR 277.163787
PLN 4.088225
PYG 7764.394745
QAR 3.629996
RON 4.77884
RSD 112.36596
RUB 101.350492
RWF 1388.066423
SAR 3.757802
SBD 8.383555
SCR 13.945185
SDG 601.500366
SEK 11.0377
SGD 1.355155
SHP 0.791982
SLE 22.794723
SLL 20969.503029
SOS 569.08232
SRD 35.130996
STD 20697.981008
SVC 8.713025
SYP 2512.530243
SZL 18.327728
THB 34.136029
TJS 10.893341
TMT 3.51
TND 3.172929
TOP 2.342106
TRY 35.220695
TTD 6.758272
TWD 32.688992
TZS 2400.000288
UAH 41.761098
UGX 3652.705513
UYU 44.413143
UZS 12838.129186
VES 51.475982
VND 25447.5
VUV 118.722003
WST 2.762788
XAF 628.546104
XAG 0.033606
XAU 0.00038
XCD 2.70255
XDR 0.759575
XOF 628.546104
XPF 114.276406
YER 250.375037
ZAR 18.370698
ZMK 9001.203045
ZMW 27.557229
ZWL 321.999592
  • RYCEF

    -0.0100

    7.27

    -0.14%

  • RELX

    -0.3100

    45.47

    -0.68%

  • VOD

    0.0100

    8.39

    +0.12%

  • RBGPF

    59.9600

    59.96

    +100%

  • SCS

    -0.5800

    11.74

    -4.94%

  • CMSC

    0.0200

    23.86

    +0.08%

  • NGG

    0.8200

    58.5

    +1.4%

  • CMSD

    0.0000

    23.56

    0%

  • RIO

    -0.0900

    58.64

    -0.15%

  • GSK

    0.1700

    33.6

    +0.51%

  • BTI

    0.1131

    36.24

    +0.31%

  • BCC

    -0.2600

    122.75

    -0.21%

  • AZN

    0.9100

    65.35

    +1.39%

  • BCE

    0.0500

    23.16

    +0.22%

  • JRI

    0.1100

    12.06

    +0.91%

  • BP

    0.1900

    28.6

    +0.66%

Relax, eat well, don't fall!: Kilde eyes pre-Olympic Kitzbuehel boost
Relax, eat well, don't fall!: Kilde eyes pre-Olympic Kitzbuehel boost

Relax, eat well, don't fall!: Kilde eyes pre-Olympic Kitzbuehel boost

Norway's 2020 overall World Cup champion Aleksander Aamodt Kilde is aiming to keep his simple ethos of successful skiing ticking over into next month's Beijing Olympics.

Text size:

The in-form Kilde has followed up on his breakthrough season with more impressive displays this year, making up for the absence of multiple medal-winning 'Attacking Viking' teammates Aksel Lund Svindal (retired) and Kjetil Jansrud (injured).

December saw Kilde win the Beaver Creek super-G and downhill as well as tasting success in Italy with victories in the Val Gardena super-G and Bormio downhill.

Last week, the 29-year-old finished second in the Wengen super-G before rebounding to take the downhill win.

He was beaten to victory in Wengen by Swiss rival Marco Odermatt, who also leads the current World Cup overall standings.

Kilde, one half of alpine skiing's golden couple with his girlfriend, US star Mikaela Shiffrin, remains upbeat about his approach to skiing.

"Relax, eat well and stay on my skis!" Kilde said of his run-in to the February 4-20 Beijing Olympics.

"It's been an incredible season, I just hope to bring that into the Olympics and focus on having fun."

His previous best at an Olympics was 13th in the super-G in both the 2014 Sochi Games and four years later in Pyeongchang.

At each outing Kilde was usurped by Svindal, Olympic downhill champion in Pyeongchang in a race in which he finished 15th, and Jansrud, super-G winner in Sochi and downhill silver medallist in 2018.

"I remember that downhill being such an amazing day for the team," said Kilde, who came in 39th in Thursday's training run in the Austrian resort where Covid-19 restrictions means crowds have been cut from the normal tens of thousands to just 1,000.

- Veterans to the fore -

Italy's Christof Innerhofer, who has two previous podium finishes in the super-G in Kitzbuehel, topped training with 1min 10.45sec down a shortened Streif course.

As snow fell, the veteran Italian was followed by 41-year-old Frenchman Johan Clarey, the elder statesman of the World Cup circuit, and Switzerland's Niels Hintermann.

"Kitzbuehel is always special, it's pretty challenging," Kilde said.

"It's going to be a tight race. I hope the weather is stable for a fair race. I'm ready for what's coming."

A forecast of heavy snow has already seen the slalom advanced from its usual Sunday spot to Saturday, with the two downhills now to be held on Friday and Sunday.

"It's very tough, also with the weather," Odermatt said of the notoriously testing Streif course on Kitzbuehel's Hahnenkamm mountain.

Steps have been taken this year to reduce the risk around the Hausberg jump, forcing racers into a more uniform line with a wider radius, marginally cutting speed and the size of the exit jump.

It has not sat well with all skiers, who delight in managing their personal risk management on a course that has been the scene of many gruesome crashes over the years.

"For the public to see the risk factor is important," contended American veteran Steve Nyman.

W.Knight--TFWP