When Peter Fill catapults himself out of the starting gate on Saturday in the downhill, then this local favorite breaks through a big sound barrier: The two-time winner of the downhill crystal ball is tackling his 350th race in the World Cup as part of the speed classics on the Saslong.

More than 17 years have passed since Fill first stood at the start of a race in the Alpine Ski World Cup. In the distant year 2002, more precisely on 7 March 2002, the South Tyrolean celebrated his World Cup debut in Altenmarkt, Zauchensee and promptly took twelfth place as the newly crowned super-G Junior World Champion. In the following 349 races, the speed specialist provided numerous highlights and made it to the podium a total of 22 times - three times he was faster than the rest of competition clinching the victory.

In addition to winning two World Championship medals and the Kitz downhill race in 2016, Fill counts two golds in the downhill World Cup as the greatest successes of his career. Furthermore, the experienced skier from nearby Castelrotto/Kastelruth once took home the combination crystal ball, underlining that he is not only one of the best in the fast, but also an all-rounder in the other disciplines. One thing is already certain before the 350th race: Peter Fill has left more than just a simple mark on the Alpine Ski World Cup.

A podium in Val Gardena/Gröden is the missing piece of the puzzle

With the Saslong, however, Fill still has a score to settle: So far, the 37-year-old has never been among the top three in Val Gardena/Gröden, once just missing the podium with a fourth place. The father of three recently fought back after a serious injury to rejoin the world elite - so we are curious to see whether he will be able to achieve this goal in front of his own audience this year.