Austria's Kriechmayr wins fog-delayed super-G in Val Gardena

Austrian skier Vincent Kriechmayr narrowly edged Norwegian rival Kjetil Jansrud to win a fog-affected World Cup super-G that lasted nearly four hours on Friday.

The shortened race had been interrupted for 45 minutes due to fog hanging over the middle of the Saslong course before Kriechmayr came down as the No. 7 starter and beat early leader Mauro Caviezel.

Kriechmayr then had to wait nearly three hours before the race was declared finished amid near darkness due to more fog.

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It was worth the wait, though, as the result moved Kriechmayr atop both the overall and super-G standings.

Toronto's James Crawford finished 17th as the top Canadian in the field. It was a career-best World Cup result for the 22-year-old in his 22nd start. 

Dustin Cook finished 40th and Benjamin Thomsen 43rd to round out the Canadian contigent. 

"I kept my head in a good place and when it was time to go I totally forgot about the wait and just skied the way I know how to. Conditions were dark and hard to see but the track stayed in great condition and I was able to take advantage" said Crawford. 

In the overall, Kriechmayr moved 48 points ahead of previous leader Alexis Pinturault, who did not enter this race.

In the super-G, Kriechmayr moved 12 points ahead of Olympic champion and teammate Matthias Mayer, who finished 11th.

CBC Sports will have free live stream coverage of men's alpine beginning with the downhill from Val Gardena on Saturday at 5:45 a.m. ET. Return on Sunday for the men's giant slalom, with runs in Alta Badia, Italy, set for 4 a.m. ET and 7 a.m. ET.

Kriechmayr trailed the early leaders at each of the first two checkpoints but was masterful through the technical Ciaslat section that features a series of small bumps and jumps that rattled many skiers off the racing line.

Jansrud slams on the breaks

Jansrud came down later and built a lead of 0.32 seconds over Kriechmayr into the final checkpoint but was carrying so much speed that he had to slam on the brakes to clear one of the final gates and finished 0.05 behind.

Thomas Dressen of Germany, another late starter, finished third, 0.22 behind Kriechmayr.

It was the fifth World Cup victory of Kriechmayr's career, to go with the two medals he won at last season's world championships in Are, Sweden — silver in super-G and bronze in downhill.

It was also Kriechmayr's third podium result this season after finishing third in a super-G in Lake Louise, Alberta; and second in a downhill in Beaver Creek, Colorado.

"I'm really happy and proud about my skiing today," Kriechmayr said. "This is a legendary course and I really like it."

WATCH | A BOOTquet of questions with alpine skier Erik Read: 

A BOOTquet of questions with alpine skier Erik Read

5 years ago

Duration 1:24

Canadian alpine skier Erik Read answers questions that he's pulling out of a BOOTquet. What's that you ask? It's a boot bouquet. Spoiler: He used to pull his cat's tail.

A Norwegian coach set the course, which resembled more of a downhill than a super-G in certain sections.

Still, Jansrud couldn't add to Norway's record total of eight super-G wins in Val Gardena — including a victory last year by Aksel Lund Svindal, who is now retired.

"That's a very, very good result for me right now," said Jansrud, the 2014 Olympic super-G champion who had struggled this season. "Now I can take it a little easier with the nerves and get ready for tomorrow's downhill and hopefully be fast then, too."