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Patrick Kueng wins first downhill World Cup race on home soil in Switzerland
The famous long course at Wengen had to be shortened because of high winds
Kueng said he had thought of quitting skiing after a terrible accident in 2006
American Ted Ligety tunes up for 2014 Winter Olympics with combined win
He may not have started from the top of the mountain but it was still a dream downhill for Patrick Kueng as he skied to victory at the World Cup event in Wengen.
The course at the Swiss Alpine resort is renowned as the longest downhill course on the World Cup calendar at 4.4 kilometers (2.12 miles) long but high winds Saturday meant the skiers had to start their runs lower down the slope.
Victory still tasted sweet for Switzerland’s Kueng, who beat Austrian Hannes Reichelt and Norwegian Aksel Lund Svindal with a time of one minute 32.66 seconds.
“Since I was a kid, I’ve been watching this race,” the 30-year-old told reporters. “My first dream was to race it and my second dream was to win it.
“In 2006 I had a terrible accident in which I broke one leg and broke the ankle in my other leg. I ended up in a wheelchair and my thoughts did turn to quitting.
“It was a very tough time, but when I decided to continue, it was nothing but 100 per cent. Eventually I got a World Cup spot and now I’m here!”
Keung has never represented Switzerland at a Winter Olympics and is hoping that two World Cup victories this season will be enough to book his place on the plane to the Sochi Games next month.
American Ted Ligety, a 2006 Olympic gold medallist in the combined, tuned up for his next tilt at the Games with a decisive victory in the super-combined in Wengen Friday.
The 29-year-old clocked a combined total of two minute 44.74 seconds in the slalom and downhill.
“It’s good to get this win, definitely,” Ligety said. “Hopefully it will change the momentum for me.
“I’ve finally won a combined. I’ve won the Olympics and world championships but I haven’t won a World Cup before and it’s nice to get that.”
Ligety is third in the overall World Cup standings behind leader Svindal and Austrian Marcel Hirscher.