By Simon Evans
YANQING, China – Austria’s Matthias Mayer would enter the record books as the first male skier to win a gold medal in three straight Olympics if he triumphs in Sunday’s downhill at the Beijing Games but the 31-year-old says any success now would be a “bonus”.
Mayer was a surprise winner of the downhill at Sochi in 2014 and then followed up that triumph with super-G gold at Pyeongchang four years ago.
A downhill victory on the World Cup circuit at Lake Louise in Canada in November showed he remains among the elite of speed skiers and he sits third in the downhill standings behind Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde and Swiss Beat Feuz.
Mayer, whose father Helmut won silver in super-G at Calgary in 1988, says his past successes allow him to feel less pressure this time around.
“I have achieved quite a lot in the two Games I have taken part in, so I don’t need to get too much tunnel vision on this. I can ride in a quite relaxed way, in quotation marks,” he told reporters.
“I am looking forward to the race, I’ve got my ducks in a row, and whatever happens, it will be fine.”
Mayer, 12th fastest in windy conditions for Friday’s second training run, said it was impossible to compare the Beijing challenge with his previous two Olympics.
“The first Games were completely unchartered waters for me. The second Games, after my injury, it was a very gratifying experience. Now it’s a bonus for me, really,” he said.
“The last years were very good and successful and now to be part of this again, I’m just really looking forward to it”.
The hard, packed, artificial snow on the Olympic course, dubbed ‘The Rock’, has provided some positive challenges and Mayer says he has room to speed up on Sunday.
“I tried some turns a bit faster than yesterday, it was good. It was very close training and it is going to be exciting race on Sunday.”
But while quietly confident of his chances of a unique achievement, the Austrian has no doubt that Kilde is the man to beat.
“He is definitely the big favourite yes – it is close after him but he is very fast.”
(Reporting by Simon Evans; Additional reporting by Shadia Nasralla; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
