Beijing 2022: 'The risks he takes paid off' - Aksel Lund Svindal praises Matthias Mayer after super-G gold

Alpine skiing legend Aksel Lund Svindal has heaped praise on Matthias Mayer after the Austrian successfully defended his Olympic super-G title in Beijing. Mayer finished with a time of 1:19.94, 0.04 seconds ahead of America's Ryan Cochran-Siegle who took the silver. Ad/> Aleksander Aamodt Kilde claimed bronze, in a time of 1:20.36 to win his first Olympic medal.

/> Beijing 2022'Mayer has been awesome at the Olympics' — Svindal reacts to stunning gold2 HOURS AGO Summarising the race on Eurosport’s Cube, Svindal — who won two Olympic golds himself to go with five world championship titles — said Mayer’s risk-taking is what secured him the gold. “Matthias Mayer has been awesome at the Olympics, I mean, just see the three golds that he has. “He does this because he really attacks the course.

He wasn't too clean on the top part, he lost some speed there. You can also see on the splits he was behind Aleksander [Kilde]. “But what he does down the last pitch and onto the flat, that's where he wins his race.

And when you think about the super-G today, it's about one minute and 20 long. “But it really is the one minute that decides it, because the speed that you have got before you hit those last 20 seconds in the flat part, you're never going to make up for it. «The three or four turns that Meyer does, where he really takes some risks, he goes tighter, he lets it go.

And then let it run perfectly out to the flats. And the risk that it takes there with good skiing obviously, pays off, and that's how he gets the gold.” Svindal’s Norwegian compatriot Kilde came in as favourite but had to settle for bronze in the end. “Alexander skis, I would say, close to a perfect run,” Svindal added.