Rey-Bellet misses out on podium

Rey-Bellet couldn't quite make the top three Keystone Archive

Swiss skier Corinne Rey-Bellet has narrowly missed out on what would have been her third podium place this winter after finishing fourth in Friday's downhill race in Saalbach.

The 29-year-old from Les Crosets crossed the finish line with a time just two hundredths of a second slower than third placed Italian Isolde Kostner.

Rey-Bellet’s team mate Sylviane Berthod was unable to follow up on her downhill victory in St Moritz, having instead to settle for sixth place.

Friday’s race saw an unexpected victory for Germany’s Hilde Gerg with Swedish veteran Pernilla Wiberg grabbing a similarly surprising second place.

Tight contest

In an extremely tight contest, just 23 hundredths of a second separated Gerg in first place from Berthod in sixth.

In the overall downhill rankings, Berthod is now second with an 88-point gap dividing her and current leader Kostner. Rey-Bellet shares third spot with Gerg, with both women a further 42 points back behind Berthod.

Friday’s leading results:

Women’s downhill, Saalbach:

1. Hilde Gerg (Germany) 1’21″14; 2. Pernilla Wiberg (Sweden) 1’21″26; 3. Isolde Kostner (Italy) 1’21″29; 4. CORINNE REY-BELLET (Switzerland) 1’21″31; 5. Brigitte Obermoser (Austria) 1’21″34; 6. SYLVIANE BERTHOD (Switzerland) 1’21″37; 7. Renate Gotschi (Austria) 1’21″41; 8= Michaela Dorfmeister (Austria) 1’21″53; 8= Carole Montillet (France) 1’21″53; 10. Picabo Street (U.S.) 1’21″85… 17. CATHERINE BORGHI (Switzerland) 1’22″21.

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