KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia (AP) — Hannes Reichelt of Austria led the opening World Cup training session on the 2014 Sochi Olympics downhill course on Wednesday.
With bright sunshine and good, hard snow conditions, Reichelt clocked 2 minutes, 12.91 seconds down the steep and technical Rosa Khutor slope.
Skiers said the course requires allaround skills because it was so technical, with few gliding sections. That fits Reichelt, who has won four World Cup super-Gs and one giant slalom, plus posted three podium results in downhill.
Swiss standout Didier Cuche, who has announced he will retire at the end of this season, was second, 0.25 seconds behind, and Benjamin Thomsen of Canada was third, 0.69 behind.
More training sessions are scheduled before before racing begins on Saturday.
