Italy’s Dominik Paris won the men’s downhill race in Bormio for the sixth time on Tuesday ahead of Swiss Marco Odermatt who takes the overall World Cup lead.

The 32-year-old Paris dominated the race down the icy Stelvio piste in northern Italy to finish 0.24 sec ahead of Odermatt with Swiss Niels Hintermann third at 0.80.

Odermatt’s first podium finish in the downhill extends his lead in the overall World Cup standings to 286 points on Austrian Matthias Mayer, who finished 12th on the day, with two Super-G races on Wednesday and Thursday.

Meanwhile Paris added to his impressive run of victories in the Lombardy ski resort after wins in 2012, 2017, 2018 and twice in 2019. No skier has won a downhill race on the same piste as many times.

“I tried to give everything, as always. And the Stelvio is the piste on which I do everything well, every time,” said Paris after a victory that catapulted him to the top of the downhill World Cup standings, his great goal this season together with a first Olympic medal.

Paris has missed out just once on the Stelvio, finishing fourth last year as he made his comeback following ruptured ligaments in his right knee.

The skier from Italy’s South Tyrol claimed the 16th World Cup downhill victory of his career and 20th in total.

“I don’t know why there is this special feeling between us,” he said of the Stelvio.

“Every time it’s a war, from start to finish, special energy is needed. It’s a feeling that I really like. Then you must also take some risks in the key points.

“I don’t know where I made the difference today, for sure I had some nice lines on the Carnecina and I was effective in the final stretch. But I think I did well all over.”

Odermatt continued his blistering form ahead of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, notching up a seventh podium in ten races so far this season.