Germany's Dressen bags surprise Kitzbuhel downhill victory

The 24-year-old put down a faultless run to edge out Swiss skier Beat Feuz, winner of last weekend's Wengen downhill, by two tenths of a second while home favourite Hannes Reichelt completed the podium.

Dressen made his World Cup debut back in February 2015 but served notice of his improving talents when he claimed his first World Cup podium in the downhill at Beaver Creek back in December.

But this was by far his best – and most timely – result yet ahead of next month's Olympic Games as he became only the second German to win the men's downhill in Kitzbuhel after Sepp Ferstl, who was representing West Germany in 1978 and 1979.

He is also the first male skier to claim his maiden career World Cup race win in the downhill at the Austrian resort since Didier Cuche in 1998. Cuche went on to win the Hahnenkammrennen a record five times.

Current World Cup downhill leader Aksel Lund Svindal was more than a second off the pace in eighth while Frenchman Johan Clarey was able to walk away relatively unscathed after a high-speed crash.

Sportsbeat 2018