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

EUR -
AED 4.311517
AFN 80.459001
ALL 97.861046
AMD 449.221187
ANG 2.100718
AOA 1076.404609
ARS 1470.290435
AUD 1.791892
AWG 2.112899
AZN 2.000281
BAM 1.955013
BBD 2.36186
BDT 142.592634
BGN 1.956686
BHD 0.442465
BIF 3485.327509
BMD 1.173833
BND 1.49851
BOB 8.082783
BRL 6.553268
BSD 1.170034
BTN 100.194118
BWP 15.628646
BYN 3.828176
BYR 23007.121999
BZD 2.349665
CAD 1.604917
CDF 3387.681116
CHF 0.932257
CLF 0.029042
CLP 1114.483409
CNY 8.428413
CNH 8.427867
COP 4721.155341
CRC 589.9727
CUC 1.173833
CUP 31.106568
CVE 110.221126
CZK 24.648254
DJF 208.307083
DKK 7.461233
DOP 70.142976
DZD 152.223833
EGP 58.176561
ERN 17.607491
ETB 162.306368
FJD 2.634901
FKP 0.864841
GBP 0.86252
GEL 3.181417
GGP 0.864841
GHS 12.209078
GIP 0.864841
GMD 83.926443
GNF 10151.089069
GTQ 8.990421
GYD 244.622628
HKD 9.214546
HNL 30.588215
HRK 7.530838
HTG 153.529541
HUF 399.309142
IDR 19041.328036
ILS 3.884618
IMP 0.864841
INR 100.434424
IQD 1532.376982
IRR 49447.704165
ISK 143.407551
JEP 0.864841
JMD 186.993974
JOD 0.83225
JPY 171.616637
KES 151.365347
KGS 102.651416
KHR 4697.150304
KMF 494.183253
KPW 1056.423672
KRW 1612.059556
KWD 0.35849
KYD 0.974804
KZT 606.623365
LAK 25203.752916
LBP 104810.480117
LKR 351.667023
LRD 234.536643
LSL 20.882514
LTL 3.466023
LVL 0.71004
LYD 6.326482
MAD 10.564498
MDL 19.827108
MGA 5177.894824
MKD 61.530165
MMK 2464.470539
MNT 4212.368283
MOP 9.458295
MRU 46.636324
MUR 53.080621
MVR 18.074825
MWK 2028.375324
MXN 21.8418
MYR 4.989986
MZN 75.078902
NAD 20.850323
NGN 1793.616166
NIO 43.04305
NOK 11.834586
NPR 160.312236
NZD 1.953052
OMR 0.451335
PAB 1.169734
PEN 4.152629
PGK 4.907109
PHP 66.216227
PKR 333.957537
PLN 4.242845
PYG 9066.391117
QAR 4.265302
RON 5.073068
RSD 117.164962
RUB 91.794533
RWF 1683.276171
SAR 4.402767
SBD 9.786155
SCR 17.225646
SDG 704.881407
SEK 11.152469
SGD 1.50142
SHP 0.922448
SLE 26.414414
SLL 24614.690259
SOS 668.528197
SRD 43.725855
STD 24295.968071
SVC 10.234839
SYP 15262.325911
SZL 20.849523
THB 38.253444
TJS 11.317395
TMT 4.120153
TND 3.421238
TOP 2.749233
TRY 46.999799
TTD 7.942771
TWD 34.302327
TZS 3084.286863
UAH 48.893221
UGX 4199.328454
USD 1.173833
UYU 47.321164
UZS 14870.01764
VES 133.35479
VND 30639.969489
VUV 140.042854
WST 3.231986
XAF 655.690416
XAG 0.032209
XAU 0.000353
XCD 3.172342
XDR 0.815468
XOF 655.696
XPF 119.331742
YER 283.891327
ZAR 20.844629
ZMK 10565.899751
ZMW 28.454674
ZWL 377.973668
  • CMSC

    0.0900

    22.314

    +0.4%

  • CMSD

    0.0250

    22.285

    +0.11%

  • RBGPF

    0.0000

    69.04

    0%

  • SCS

    0.0400

    10.74

    +0.37%

  • RELX

    0.0300

    53

    +0.06%

  • RIO

    -0.1400

    59.33

    -0.24%

  • GSK

    0.1300

    41.45

    +0.31%

  • NGG

    0.2700

    71.48

    +0.38%

  • BP

    0.1750

    30.4

    +0.58%

  • BTI

    0.7150

    48.215

    +1.48%

  • BCC

    0.7900

    91.02

    +0.87%

  • JRI

    0.0200

    13.13

    +0.15%

  • VOD

    0.0100

    9.85

    +0.1%

  • BCE

    -0.0600

    22.445

    -0.27%

  • RYCEF

    0.1000

    12

    +0.83%

  • AZN

    -0.1200

    73.71

    -0.16%

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.

X.Kadlec--TPP