Kilde secures his second Dolomites Val Gardena Südtirol Ski Trophy
St. Cristina, 17 December 2022. First place in the downhill classic secured victory for Aleksander Aamodt Kilde in the special prize DOLOMITES Val Gardena Südtirol Ski Trophy. The trophy honours the racer who collects the most World Cup points during the race week in Val Gardena/Gröden.
Winner of Saturday's downhill and fifth in Thursday's downhill, Kilde crowned himself the winner of the DOLOMITES Val Gardena Südtirol Ski Trophy for the second time after 2020. The Norwegian raced to 145 points in the two races, narrowly edging out Johan Clarey of France for second place. The 41-year-old, who finished fourth and second in the two downhill races, respectively, scored 130 points in Val Gardena/Gröden. Third place went to overall World Cup leader Marco Odermatt. He scored 116 points at the foot of the Sassolungo/Langkofel with second and seventh place.
Fourth and fifth place in this special classification went to two racers from Austria: Vincent Kriechmayr had 100 points to his name after the two downhill runs, while his compatriot Matthias Mayer took home 82 points for third and twelfth place.
Kilde rejoices over several additional bonuses
As the winner of the DOLOMITES Val Gardena Südtirol Ski Trophy, Kilde can look forward to an original 3D wooden bust, as well as extra prize money of €5,000 and a short holiday. In addition (and this is new this year), the winner may climb the Sassolungo/Langkofel accompanied by a local expert mountain guide.
The idea of the special prize was developed by the Organising Committee of the Saslong Classic in collaboration with DOLOMITES Val Gardena. The original 3D wooden bust of the Norwegian will be publicly exhibited in the future on the "Ski Champions Walk" in Selva/Wolkenstein.
Luis Vogt wins the Gianni Marzola Prize
Once again, the youngest participant in the speed races on the Saslong was awarded a special trophy, the Gianni Marzola Prize. This year, the Marzola Prize went to Luis Vogt from Germany, who at the age of 20 was the youngest racer in the field. Vogt competed in both downhill races and finished in 32nd and 52nd place, respectively. It was the fourth and fifth World Cup race in the course of the German's still young career.
Gianni Marzola was a great promoter of skiing in Val Gardena/Gröden during his lifetime. Since 2002, his memory has been upheld by the prize named after him.