SOLDEU, Andorra (AP) — Dominik Paris won his fourth downhill race of the season at the World Cup Finals on Wednesday, and Beat Feuz took the discipline title for the second straight year.
Feuz finished 0.64 seconds behind Paris in sixth but the Swiss skier, leading the downhill standings by 80 points going into the race, needed only a top-12 finish to secure the season-long title.
“It’s incredible for me to have two globes now. Dominik is in a super form and I am really proud to have won it,” said Feuz, who led Paris by only 20 points in the final standings.
Feuz won only one race this season, in Beaver Creek in November, but the Swiss skier had top-three results in 11 of the last 13 races. Last week, he became the first skier since Stephan Eberharter of Austria in 2004 to finish on the podium in six straight downhills.
“Dominik won many races this year. He won four, I won just one,” Feuz said. “But the important thing was to be on the podium in six of the eight races this season. Consistency is my advantage.”
Feuz won his first downhill title last year, also in the season-ending race, when he beat challenger Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway.
In Wednesday’s race, Paris beat world champion Kjetil Jansrud of Norway by 0.34 seconds, with Otmar Striedinger of Austria 0.41 behind in third.
He became the first Italian skier to win four downhills in one campaign, beating the previous record set by Kristian Ghedina in the 1996-97 season and matched by Christof Innerhofer in 2012-13.
Paris has yet to win a crystal globe, but has a chance to do so in Thursday’ super-G, where he leads the standings.
The final women’s downhill was scheduled for later Wednesday.
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