On the 17th try, Kilde finally succeeded at home. He drove a fantastic race and finished 73-hundredths of a second ahead of start number seven.

Then, some strong contenders will come right behind the Norwegian. Canadian James Crawford came closest, seven hundred behind Kilde, while Matthias Mayer finished twelve hundred behind.

– That looks good. But I’ve picked up a lot before and finished fourth, so we’ll wait until it’s finished, I think, Kilde told NRK after ten alpine riders ran.

– I have good speed. I don’t follow everyone, and I feel it (in my body). It’s fun to drive and it’s nice to come down here to the crowd at home, he continued.

Win the crystal ball

Five times Kilde has been in the top five on the Kvitfjell route in recent years. On Saturday, he finished second behind seeded Dominik Paris on the slopes.

Kilde leads the Super-G cup with 61 points over Marco Odermatt before Sunday’s race. The Swiss finished outside the top 25, so he couldn’t stop the Norwegian’s pursuit of the crystal ball. Closest follows Mayer, who trails 130 points.

On Sunday, conditions in Kvitfjell were once again absolutely perfect. Cool, blue skies and clear sun make it a day similar to Friday when Canada’s Cameron Alexander came down to share the win from start number 39. On a sometimes cloudy Saturday as Kjetil Jansrud said goodbye to the alpine circus.

Jansrud cheers

Alpine retiree Jansrud recently walked around the finish area on Sunday, greeting those who made it to the finish line and cheering well as Kilde took the lead.

Kilde won the crystal ball in the super-G cup in 2016. In 2020, he won the heavier – and bigger – ball as overall trophy winner.

Kilde was also in the driver’s seat to win the utforcup. Before the final race, he led by 23 points over Swiss Beat Feuz.

The speed season ended in Courchevel, France, on March 16 and 17 with a downhill and a super-G.