The speed season kicked off today at the Birds of Prey racetrack with a big surprise in store. Justin Murisier secures his first Alpine Ski World Cup victory by winning the World Cup Downhill at Beaver Creek. Starting with bib number 3, Murisier skied a very solid run from top to bottom with hardly any mistakes. The 32-year-old Swiss skier previously achieved his only podium finish in the Giant Slalom in Alta Badia in 2020. His best Downhill result was 4th place in Bormio last season.
"I think it was a good run and I thought it would be difficult to be faster. But with Sarrazin and Odermatt you never know," Murisier said.
"It's incredible. It was worth the wait, the constant fighting. To experience this with Marco is a dream come true. Things didn't go well for me in the training sessions in Copper Mountain, I didn't like the snow. I thought several times about whether I should give up. And now the first race went so well, it's fantastic. I'm almost crying," Murisier added.
Teammate Marco Odermatt finished in second place, just 0.20 seconds behind. Despite not winning today, the Birds of Prey is still a special one for the 27-year-old.
"It was my first World Cup victory here in Beaver Creek, exactly five years ago today. So it's always great to come back here, we love to race here. For me, it's the best Downhill we have on tour," Odermatt said.
Slovenian Miha Hrobat completed the podium in third place. It was the first podium in the World Cup for the Slovenian, whose best result to date had been a seventh place in the Kitzbühel downhill in 2023.
"It's no surprise to me because I had good training times, including setting the best time in the first training session. We've changed a lot, the coaching staff, the skis, it's working well right now and I hope it stays that way," Hrobat said.
The other two favorites for today's win on the Birds of Prey track were off the podium, Vincent Kriechmayr in fifth place and Cyprien Sarrazin in ninth.
The Swiss team's joy was dampened by the serious crash of Arnaud Boisset, who hit his head hard on the piste and landed unconscious in the safety nets. Swiss-Ski announced he was taken to hospital and was conscious again when he was transported away. He suffered a concussion and bruises on his face and shoulders.
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