Matthias Mayer took gold in the men’s downhill Sunday as big names Bode Miller and Aksel Lund Svindal failed to even land a medal in the popular Alpine sking event. Christof Innerhofer took silver and Kjetil Jansrud earned the bronze this morning.
Mayer adds even more luster to his family name in the sport. His father Helmut Mayer won silver in 1998. While Mayer slipped under the radar ever so slightly, there was some evidence that he could put such a run together, as he enjoyed the fastest time during the second training run on Friday.
The 23-year-old acknowledged his roots to Reuters on Feb. 7.
“I have Olympic blood in the family and I feel the Olympic spirit right now,” Mayer said then.
VIDEO: Comparing Bode’s run to Mayer’s
Innerhofer is Italy’s first downhill medalist since 1976. Jansrud (Norway) adds another medal to his resume, as he won a silver in the giant slalom in 2010.