VAL GARDENA (Italy), Dec 14: Kristian Ghedina won a men’s World Cup downhill here for the fourth time Friday to pull level with the all-time Val Gardena victory record held by Franz Klammer.

The hard-charging 30-year-old from Cortina d’Ampezzo, fastest in the only full-length training run held on the Saslong piste this week, clocked a winning time of two minutes, 01.47 seconds. The placing was a massive improvement on Ghedina’s 16th place last weekend in Val d’Isere, France.

The home star has a chance to beat Klammer’s mark as the second half of a downhill double is staged Saturday.

Norway’s Lasse Kjus, starting 20th in frigid but sunny conditions on a rock-hard course, clinched runner-up on 2:01.63. The Scandinavian won the race in 1999.

He had the fastest clockings on two of the timing intermediates, but a mistake on the Cislat passage kept him from the top spot.

Young Italian talent Kurt Sulzenbacher clocked 2:02.20, good for third in the second downhill of the season.

Saturday’s Val d’Isere winner, World Cup points leader Stefan Eberharter, earned the best Austrian showing, a modest fourth with 2:02.36.

The veteran made up some time after falling more than half a second behind Ghedina’s time on the top, narrowing the gap slightly down to 0.45 seconds off the pace by the end.

Eberharter widened his lead on top of the overall season points table over American Bode Miller, a racer who does not ski the downhill.

Miller will have his own chance in Sunday’s giant slalom at nearby Alta Badia, Italy.

Friday’s results:

1. Kristian Ghedina (Ita) 2min 01.47sec, 2. Lasse Kjus (Nor) 2:01.63, 3. Kurt Sulzenbacher (Ita) 2:02.20, 4. Stephan Eberharter (Aut) 2:02.36, 5. Peter Rzehak (Aut) 2:02.42, 6. Kjetil-Andre Aamodt (Nor) 2:02.47, 7. Franco Cavegn (Swi) 2:02.62, 8. Didier Cuche (Swi) 2:02.67, 9. Antoine Deneriaz (Fra) 2:02.70, 10. Christina Greber (Aut) 2:02.75, 11. Fritz Strobl (Aut) 2:02.81, 12. Kenneth Sivertsen (Nor) 2:02.89, 13. Bruno Kernen (Swi) 2:02.90, 14. Rolf von Weissenfluh (Swi) 2:02.98, 15. Josef Strobl (Aut) 2:03.01, 16. Michael Walchhofer (Aut) 2:03.15, 17. Peter Pen (Slo) 2:03.29, 18. Claudio Collenberg (Swi) 2:03.42, 19. Alessandro Fattori (Ita) 2:03.56, 20. Norbert Holzknecht (Aut) 2:03.62, 21. Didier Defago (Swi) 2:03.63, 22. Klaus Kroll (Aut) 2:03.65, 23. Ambrosi Hoffmann (Swi) 2:03.70, 24. Andreas Schifferer (Aut) 2:03.74, 25. Roland Fischnaller (Ita) 2:03.79, 26. Christoph Gruber (Aut) 2:03.85, 27. Pierre-Emmanuel Dalcin (Fra) 2:03.86, 28. Luca Cattaneo (Ita) 2:04.01, 29. Sebastien Fournier (Fra) 2:04.06, 30. Audun Groenvold (Nor) 2:04.27.—AFP