Peter Fill won the Downhill crystal globe in each of the last two seasons. He can become the fifth man to win three successive World Cup titles in the Downhill and the first since Stephan Eberharter (2002-2004). Last season Fill became the first man to win the Downhill crystal globe without winning a single World Cup Downhill race in that season since Marc Girardelli in 1993/94. Fill has won two World Cup Downhill races in his career: in Kitzbühel on 23 January 2016 and in Lake Louise on 29 November 2008. The Italian could join Aksel Lund Svindal, Michael Walchhofer, Stephan Eberharter and Didier Cuche on a record two men’s World Cup Downhill race wins in Lake Louise. Fill has claimed three World Cup Downhill podium finishes in Lake Louise, most for him in a single host city. He finished third in 2006, first in 2008 and second in 2015. Last season Fill finished on the World Cup podium five times, including in his last two races. He could finish on the podium in three successive World Cup Downhill appearances for the first time in his career.
Kjetil Jansrud missed out the Downhill crystal globe for 23 points last season after finishing only 11th in the last race in Aspen. Jansrud won his only Downhill crystal globe in 2014/15. He has also won two crystal globes in the Super G event, in 2014/15 and 2016/17. Jansrud has won eight World Cup Downhill races, third-most among Norwegian men behind Aksel Lund Svindal (12) and Lasse Kjus (10). In all disciplines, Jansrud has claimed 19 wins in World Cup races. Among Norwegian men, only Svindal (32) and Kjetil André Aamodt (21) have more. Jansrud won the Lake Louise Downhill in 2014 and could join Svindal, Michael Walchhofer, Stephan Eberharter and Didier Cuche on a record two men’s World Cup Downhill race wins in Lake Louise.
Aksel Lund Svindal is hoping to make his comeback in the World Cup after having to cut last season short due to a knee injury. Svindal has won 11 crystal globes in his career, but not since 2014 when he won in the Super G and Downhill. Svindal finished on the podium in six of his last eight World Cup appearances in the Downhill, winning four races and claiming one second and one third place. He has won 32 World Cup races in all disciplines, ranking him in ninth place all-time among men. Bode Miller is in eighth place with 33 wins. Svindal has won 12 World Cup Downhill races, which ranks him in joint-seventh place all-time among men with Didier Cuche and Kristian Ghedina. The Norwegian has won a joint-record two men’s World Cup Downhill races in Lake Louise (2012, 2015), alongside Michael Walchhofer, Stephan Eberharter and Didier Cuche. His eight World Cup wins in Lake Louise in all disciplines are at least twice the number of any other male skier (4 by Hermann Maier). Svindal has not won more than five World Cup races in any other host city (5 in Beaver Creek and Val Gardena).
Dominik Paris won the last World Cup Downhill race of last season, in Aspen. It was his seventh World Cup win in this event, only trailing Kristian Ghedina (12) among Italian men. Paris can become the first man to win back-to-back World Cup Downhill races since doing so himself in February-March 2016 (Chamonix, Kvitfjell). Paris won the Lake Louise Downhill in 2013 and could join Aksel Lund Svindal, Michael Walchhofer, Stephan Eberharter and Didier Cuche on a record two men’s World Cup Downhill race wins in Lake Louise.
Prediction: Peter Fill Podium Finish
Odds: 3.50 Bet365
Prediction: Dominik Paris Podium Finish
Odds: 6.00 Bet365
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