The favorites are bluffing

Val Gardena/Gröden: Canadian fastest, ÖSV racers behind

James Crawford set the best time.(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Canadian James Crawford was the fastest in the second downhill training run in Val Gardena/Gröden, just ahead of Mattia Casse. In the end, Crawford was 0.08 seconds ahead of the Italian, who had set the fastest time the day before. Andreas Ploier (+0.52) was the best of the Austrian ski team, finishing tenth in Wednesday's timed run, while Stefan Babinsky (+0.54) was eleventh. 

Vincent Kriechmayr (+0.77) finished in 17th place ex aequo with his ÖSV team colleague Stefan Rieser. "I didn't ski the exit from the Ciaslat well, I jumped a bit too far. Otherwise it was a decent training run," said Kriechmayr.

Vincent Kriechmayr(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Frenchman Cyprien Sarrazin (+0.29) was in the front of the field in fifth place, while Switzerland's Marco Odermatt was 1.49 seconds behind in 40th place. The two, who won five out of eight downhill races together last season, are still waiting for their first Val Gardena/Gröden victory.

ÖSV routiniers far behind
Stefan Eichberger (23rd/+0.92) finished directly ahead of Vincent Wieser (24th/+0.94), Felix Hacker (49th/+1.79) also finished ahead of his experienced teammates Otmar Striedinger (50th/+2.09), Daniel Hemetsberger (51st/+2.00) and Daniel Danklmaier (57th/+2.09). Christopher Neumayer was eliminated.

As already announced on Tuesday, there will be no third training session on Thursday. The first race of this year's South Tyrol Tour is the super-G in Val Gardena/Gröden on Friday. The downhill will follow on Saturday (11.45 am/live ORF 1).