Svindal leads in downhill training

Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal got off to a headstart in Kitzbuehel on Tuesday, finishing fastest in the first of three training runs for the downhill scheduled for Saturday. Svindal, who currently leads the downhill rankings and is second in the World Cup overall standings, completed the course in 1min 59.34sec. Austria's Hannes Reichelt was second at 0.25sec while Svindal's compatriot Kjetil Jansrud finished third at 0.66sec. With the "King of the Streif" -- record five-time winner Didier Cuche of Switzerland -- out of the running following his retirement from competition last season, the race to succeed him is heated. Of all the skiers racing on Saturday, only Swiss skier Didier Defago has already won Kitzbuehel's prestigious downhill. He was 16th in training on Tuesday. The so-called Hahnenkamm races will kick off on Friday in the upmarket Austrian ski resort with the men's super-G, followed by the downhill on Saturday and the slalom on Sunday. Two more downhill training are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday. From : AFP