Benjamin Raich wins World Cup super-G

‘I never gave up and that is very important, if you are a sportsman or in life,’ Raich said.

Raich showed that all his technical skills have survived a serious knee injury one year ago, mastering a tough middle section as he clocked 1 minute, 34.37 seconds on the Nationale course. Adrien Theaux of France was runner-up, 0.24 seconds back, and Cuche trailed Raich by 0.36.

‘After my accident last year and my injury, and after the two years without victory, it’s great,’ Raich said. ‘I was sure that it was possible (to win again) but you never know. I worked really hard.’

Cuche, who won Friday’s super-G when Raich was third, praised his old rival who was criticised by some Austrian media over his early-season results.

‘Nobody had enough patience to let him do what he is able to do,’ Cuche said. ‘But with Benni you can be sure that if he has no trouble, no pain, he will be back sooner or later.’

Cuche helped attract 23,000 spectators to see him race in Switzerland for the final time this weekend before retiring.

Swiss teammate Beat Feuz, who is nursing knee pain, was 10^th and missed another chance to take the overall standings lead from Austrian Marcel Hirscher.

Hirscher, defending overall champion Ivica Kostelic of Croatia and Feuz, are separated by just 15 points. Hirscher sat out Saturday’s race to prepare for his specialist giant slalom event on Sunday, and Kostelic is expected to race again in two weeks after knee surgery.

Bode Miller was sidelined for a second straight day to help his left knee heal after undergoing minor knee surgery in the United States this week. Miller could race the GS on Sunday.

Raich’s 36^th World Cup victory, sixth on the all-time list ahead of Miller, was his first in super-G.

The former World Cup overall champion, who will be 34 on Tuesday, last won in December 2009 at a super-combined event at Val d’Isere, France.

Raich’s injury sustained at the 2011 World Championships in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, ended his season one year ago, but he has come back strongly since January. His three podium finishes this season have all been in Switzerland.

Despite supporting Cuche, the knowledgeable Swiss crowd generously applauded Raich when he crossed the line after an impressively clean run on the soft snow.

Cuche lost his ideal line after a jump and was slowed by venturing into soupy snow at the side of the course.

‘I knew that I was able to win again but you have to bring it from the top to the bottom. It cost me all the speed because I had to push into the soft snow,’ the 37-year-old Swiss star said.

However, Cuche closed to within seven points of super-G leader Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway, who placed ninth for the second consecutive day.

Jan Hudec of Canada rose to third in the discipline standings, after adding a fifth-place finish to his runner-up spot on Friday.

Two more super-G races are scheduled next weekend at Kvitfjell, Norway.

Race temperatures were merely warm, as the sun occasionally broke through cloud cover, compared to Friday’s relative Alpine heatwave.