Schladming, Austria – Norway’s Aksel Lund Svindal took a dominant win over Kitzbuehel winner Dominik Paris of Italy in a rugged downhill to claim his fifth Worlds medal at the FIS Alpine Ski World Championships in Schladming on Saturday. France’s David Poisson won bronze.

“From the very start, you could see he was going to down something big. I was so nervous and am so delighted he made it!” Svindal’s father said from the sidelines following the race.

Olympic medalist Andrew Weibrecht, of Lake Placid, N.Y., was 22^nd and teammate Steven Nyman, of Heber, Utah, fell midway through his run but recovered and finished 25^th to lead the USA in Saturday’s race.

“There was definitely more chop today. The snow started out pretty soft and got harder as the week went on,” said Weibrecht. “It was one of the rougher courses we’ve skied. Today was particularly tough because it was overcast and flat light – definitely tricky conditions and really hard to see the bumps.”

“I thought I hit the line I wanted. You get into the bottom where it doglegs and it turns to ice and it’s bumpy and you’re tired,” Nyman explained. “The course turns all the way down like Bormio and it keeps coming at you and wears you down. We need to perform at the bottom of the course.

Svindal’s win ended Canada’s incredible podium streak at three straight FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, but defending downhill champion Erik Guay and the other Canadian Cowboys didn’t give up without a fight.  Guay, of Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, charged down the Planai piste and seemed on track to win another medal in the men’s downhill – he was second, second and first in the first three splits – before he went out and subsequently was disqualified. Jan Hudec, of Calgary, Alberta, also had a strong run but finished ninth after struggling with visibility in the foggy conditions. Ben Thomsen, of Invermere, British Columbia, was 17^th and Manuel Osborne-Paradis, of Vancouver, British Columbia, was 18^th.

“I knew at the start that I didn’t want to come down here and finish fourth or fifth so I took some chances. Unfortunately I just hooked an edge and as quickly as that it was over,” said Guay, who won gold in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, in 2011 after John Kucera, of Calgary, Alberta, claimed victory in 2009 and Hudec finished second in 2007. “It’s a little bit disheartening for sure. I had a good race out of the start. I was in the right place – I was skiing well. My head wasn’t really in it through the bottom section (after losing time due to a mistake) and I ended up going out. It was just a little bit of bad luck.”

OFFICIAL RESULTS
FIS Alpine Ski World Championships
Schladming, Austria – Feb. 9, 2013
Men’s Downhill