Kilde wins Kitzbuehel for 5th downhill victory of season

Aleksander Aamodt Kilde won the second men's World Cup downhill on the Streif course Saturday, a day after the Norwegian narrowly avoided a high-speed crash on the challenging slope in Kitzbuhel, Austria.

The victory made Kilde the first male skier to win five downhills in a single season since Austrian standout Stephan Eberharter won seven times in the 2001-02 campaign.

With his right hand bandaged after fracturing a bone during Thursday's training, Kilde then needed an acrobatic recovery in the race the next day to escape a fall near the end of his run.

But racing under low clouds and in light snowfall on Saturday, he sped down the 3.3-kilometre course with no apparent mistakes, winning the storied race for the second time in his career.

"That's just Kitzbuehel. The weather is difficult, and the second training was not good, with the hand," Kilde told Austrian broadcaster ORF.

"But today, I had a good feeling. I had no pain in my hand and gave full gas. I did everything I could do, I'm satisfied."

Attended by 45,000 spectators, the downhill in the posh Austrian resort is the World Cup race with the highest prize money, paying the equivalent of $109,000 US to the winner.

Kilde was joined on the podium by two racers who have announced their retirement for after the season: French veteran Johan Clarey finished 0.67 seconds behind, and American downhiller Travis Ganong trailed by 0.95 in third.

Mattia Casse of Italy was the only other racer to finish within a second of Kilde's time. Friday's winner Vincent Kriechmayr was 1.30 back in fifth.

Cameron Alexander, of North Vancouver, B.C., finished tied for sixth, 1.5 seconds behind Kilde.

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It was Kilde's seventh win overall