Kucera Wins Shock Downhill Gold

`It`s unreal,` Kucera said, his gold medal coming just one year ahead of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics on home snow.

John Kucera benefited from changing weather conditions on a tricky piste to win a surprise downhill gold and become Canada's first men's Alpine skiing world champion on Saturday.

Kucera, the second to start the blue-riband event, skied down a sun-lit Bellevarde course while later starters, including most of the favourites, had to deal with foggy patches on the upper part.

The 24-year-old from Calgary clocked a winning time of two minutes 07.01 seconds down the steepest slope ever used at major championships.

"It's unreal," Kucera said, his gold medal coming just one year ahead of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics on home snow.

"Often in my career I've been unlucky with the conditions but not today.

"It was an advantage to start early," admitted the Canadian, whose only World Cup win, a super-G in November 2006 in Lake Louise, came after he was the first skier out of the start hut.

Didier Cuche, who won the super-G title on Wednesday, was the silver medallist, a mere 0.04 seconds behind, while fellow Swiss Carlo Janka took the bronze, 0.17 seconds behind the winner.

Cuche came very close to a golden double but was not complaining. "I didn't lose the gold, I won the silver, said the 34-year-old, who became the oldest men's world champion by winning the super-G.

ANNOYED MILLER

Former world champion Bode Miller, whose attacking style was suited to the treacherous course, was hampered by poor visibility and had to be content with eighth place.

"It's always annoying when the weather is the deciding factor but you can't take anything away from John (Kucera)," the American said. "In good conditions he's one of the best of us."

The race was marred by several spectacular crashes, including that of Swiss Didier Defago, a top contender after winning the classic Wengen and Kitzbuehel downhills last month.

There was a dose of controversy when former world champion Michael Walchhofer of Austria was allowed to restart after clocking the 12th fastest time.

Walchhofer was granted a second chance because officials let him start his run too early with poor visibility down the Bellevarde course, organisers said. He improved on his time slightly and finished ninth.

Fellow Austrian Hermann Maier was the first to start but the 36-year-old, no longer the awe-inspiring skier he once was, managed only sixth place in what might have been his last race at major championships.

"Walchhofer started a revolution today," Maier joked. "From now on we'll race downhills over two runs."