Fill did enough in 10th to overtake Aksel Lund Svindal, the injured Norwegian with whom he had gone into the last event as joint downhill leader.

Fill, 2009 world silver medallist in the super-G, finished the downhill season with 462 points, with Svindal, who had dominated the speed tests until a Kitzbuehel crash ended his season prematurely in January, on 436 points.

Switching coaches proved a good move for 33-year-old Fill on the evidence of his best ever season with the highlight his win on the prestigious Kitzbuehel downhill.

That was only his second ever World Cup success after Lake Louise in 2008.

“This globe is reward for my consistency,” said Fill who has had 14 podium finishes in his career.

He said he only knew he’d scooped the title when other skiers came up to offer their congratulations.

“I didn’t realise at the time because the situation was a little complicated,” he explained.

Of his rivals another Italian, Dominik Paris, was the most disappointed having arrived at the chic Swiss resort with back-to-back wins at Chamonix and Kvitfjell.

But his build-up was marred by a fall in training on Tuesday, despite a right leg muscle strain he still managed to compete, finishing 19th at 2.34sec.

Fill added: “It was a difficult season. Svindal and Paris also deserved the title but they were injured. That’s sport, and especially ours, where you have to have a little bit of luck.

“To be the first Italian to achieve this makes it all the better.”

As for Saint Moritz winner Feuz he was finally hitting the World Cup bullseye for the first time since 2012 after a series of near misses with a time of 1min 40.44sec to see off US rival Steven Nyman by eight hundredths of a second, with Canada’s Erik Guay in third.
Source :AFP