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Austria's Puchner tops second downhill training at world champs / Photo: © APA/AFP
Austria's Puchner tops second downhill training at world champs
Austrian Mirjam Puchner hit speeds of 140km/h to top the women's second downhill training at the World Ski Champonships in Saalbach on Wednesday.
Puchner clocked 1min 42.30sec down the Ulli Maier course as racers honed their technique and equipment ahead of Thursday's super-G.
"I did very well today, I was able to build up a good feeling yesterday," Puchner said of finishing sixth in the first training run.
"I really like this downhill. My performances so far this season were not what I wanted them to be. I didn't just want to survive the training runs, I wanted to show what I can do."
American Breezy Johnson was second, while teammate Lindsey Vonn was more than 3sec off the pace after a moderate descent in brilliant sunshine.
There was no drama on the piste, with super-G favourites Lara Gut-Behrami of Switzerland and the Italian trio of Sofia Goggia, Federica Brignone and Nicol Delago all safely negotiating the course.
Austria's Stephanie Venier, sixth at 1.26sec, admitted that there was "a lot of pressure" on the host country's women's team to bag a medal.
"We're racing in Austria!" Venier said. "We're at the world championships, it's only about 1-2-3.
"It's something special for me and all of us to have the world champs at home in front of the home crowd."
U. Schmidt--BTZ
