Kitzbuehel downhill called off

Organisers on Saturday called off the second downhill at Kitzbuehel because of bad weather and the state of the course a day after two gruesome crashes.

The FIS International Ski Federation was to decide later in the day about Sunday's scheduled super-G race.

FIS blamed "weather conditions and the state of the course" for Saturday's cancellation.

Friday's World Cup downhill saw Swiss Urs Kryenbuehl suffer concussion, a fractured collar bone and knee ligament damage while in-form American Ryan Cochran-Siegle sustained a "minor cervical 'spine' fracture".

The 3.3 km-long Streif course at Austria's Kitzbuehel resort left French veteran Johan Clarey feeling "angry"after demands to shave a dangerous bump were ignored.

Wind and crashes interrupted the race that took nearly three hours and was called off after top 30 had finished.

"I'm angry at the organisers and the FIS," said Clarey, at 40 the elder statesman of elite racers.

Clarey himself crashed in Thursday's training, but managed to finish an impressive fourth.

Swiss skier Beat Feuz won Friday's race ahead of Austrian Matthias Mayer and Italian Dominik Paris.

© 2021 AFP