Norway's Aleksander Aamodt Kilde was unbeatable in the final training for the downhill classic on Saturday. Despite setting the best time, the winner of the 2018 Gardena-Gröden Downhill was unassuming with regard to the two races this weekend.

"I am very pleased with my run today. For sure I expect a lot, but the list of favorites for the super-G and the downhill is very long," Kilde said, adding, “In any case, we Norwegians are ready - but the US Americans are also always a team to be reckoned with here in Val Gardena-Gröden."

Asked about the condition of the slope, Kilde, who has already claimed three podiums and two other top-five finishes in Val Gardena/Gröden, started to wax poetic: "The snow is perfect, as always, and it's really fun to compete here. We Norwegians, but also our US colleagues, love this course: it's beautiful, technically challenging and has several great jumps - in short, it's just cool to ski down the Saslong."

Like his colleague, Kilde also misses the fans at the finish area. "We all miss the spectators a lot. I hope, of course, that we will have full grandstands again in 2021. Right now, though, I'm just happy that we get to race at all. None of this can be taken for granted," the 28-year-old Norwegian concludes.