The winner of the shortened downhill on the Saslong is not top favorite Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, but Bryce Bennett. We caught up with the protagonists after the first of three speed events on the Saslong.

Bryce Bennett (USA – 1st Place): "Unfortunately, nothing came together for me last season. I wanted to get back to the top of the world, so I worked even harder in the summer. The excellent preparation has given me a lot of self-confidence. I like it in Val Gardena/Gröden anyway - that hasn't been the case since my victory two years ago. The Saslong is special because of the terrain, and it's hard not to ski in the moment. It's liberating, and even if you have doubt or your mind is in a weird place, once you start jumping, it brings you right back into being a kid. "

Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (NOR – 2n Place): "Unfortunately, I wasn't good enough today. I didn't have the best feeling on the piste and felt I could have been faster. It's a shame that it wasn't quite enough to win - but close margins are part and parcel of skiing, and I can live with second Place. The slope should improve daily so that we will have two more great races here. The close duel with Marco Odermatt is great: it's a lot of fun and pushes me enormously to duel with him at this level."

Marco Odermatt (SUI – 3rd Place): "I'm very happy today. After the many withdrawals in recent weeks, I didn't know where I stood in terms of speed. So, being on the podium in my first race is all the better. Overall, my run was pretty decent. I dropped a few hundredths in some places, for example, on the Ciaslat exit, but I can still live with my performance. Even though I still have to wait for my first win in the downhill, I'm not mourning the victory here. The next race starts tomorrow."

Dominik Paris (ITA/Ulten – 11th Place): "I've been coming to Val Gardena/Gröden for 15 years now and always find the same piste. What is different this year, however, is the snow: there is a lot of natural snow and that suits my skiing style better. I can certainly build on today's performance. I'm still not in the shape I'd like to be - but at least I now know I only need to make a few small adjustments to get to the top."

Mattia Casse (ITA – 12th Place): "Unfortunately, I made a small mistake on the Ciaslat exit, which I had to pay for dearly. I felt I had chosen the right line but was probably wrong. On such a short descent, you pay for every little mistake, no matter how small, and I have to deal with that now. Overall, I see the glass as half full rather than half empty today. I started in the top group for the first time this year, so getting a decent result was important. Now it's a case of looking from race to race and continuing to achieve consistent results."

Christof Innerhofer (ITA/Gais – 12th Place): "When I crossed the finish line and looked at the scoreboard, I was surprised. The result is a huge relief for me, and I'm thrilled that it went so well in the season's first race. After the mixed training session, I changed the set-up and felt good this morning on the run-in. I still really enjoy skiing and enjoy training. Not many people believe in me anymore, but I try to ignore that as much as possible. I no longer put too much pressure on myself and compete in races primarily for myself. It was different last winter, and most things went wrong back then."

Florian Schieder (ITA/Kastelruth – 15th Place): "My race wasn't flawless, and on a shortened track, every mistake costs you dearly. Overall, however, I'm going into the two upcoming races with a good feeling and confident that a decent result is possible there."