SANTA CATERINA, Italy (AP) β German skier Josef Ferstl posted the fastest time in the first training session Friday for a World Cup downhill, the final men’s race of 2014.
Ferstl came down the 3.275-kilometer Deborah Compagnoni course in 1 minute, 53.28 seconds to lead Brice Roger of France by 0.09 seconds.
Italy’s Christof Innerhofer was 0.34 back in third, and Olympic downhill champion Matthias Mayer of Austria trailed Ferstl by 0.69 in fourth.
The rest of the field was more than a second behind, with American Steven Nyman, who won in Val Gardena a week ago, finishing 1.58 off the lead in seventh and overall World Cup leader Kjetil Jansrud of Norway trailing by 3.28 in 30th.
The second and final training is scheduled for Saturday, followed by the race the next day.
