Cuche continues World Cup success
Didier Cuche of Switzerland won the Chamonix downhill for the first time on Saturday for his second World Cup win this season.
A week after taming the technically demanding Streif course in Kitzbuehel, Austria, Cuche showed his versatility on a course favouring gliding abilities to win the ninth World Cup downhill of his career.
In perfect race conditions, Cuche clocked 1 minute, 58.91 seconds down the 3.37-kilometre Verte course, with Dominik Paris of Italy 0.67 back.
The Swiss veteran became the oldest man to win a World Cup race last week by claiming the Kitzbuehel downhill at the age of 36.
Cuche’s only podium in Chamonix was in 2008, when he finished second behind American winner Marco Sullivan.
The race was interrupted for about 30 minutes after Canadian skier Manuel Osborne-Paradis crashed heavily and was airlifted to hospital.
The World Cup has been marred by serious crashes this month. Mario Scheiber broke his right shoulder blade and fractured his sinuses during training this week, while Hans Grugger of Austria needed emergency brain surgery after crashing in Kitzbuehel last week and is still hospitalised.
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