Despite a late start, Canadian Benjamin Thomsen finished second at a Saslong Classic downhill training session in Selva Di Val Gardena, Italy on Thursday.
Thomsen completed his run with a time of one minute, 59.04 seconds, just 0.40 behind reigning Olympic champion Matthias Mayer.
The Austrian Mayer was returning to the course where he broke two vertebrae in a horrific crash two years ago.
Otmar Striedinger, also of Austria, was third, 0.51 behind.
Thomsen, a 30-year-old from Invermere, B.C., has been with the Canadian Alpine Ski team since 2011. He has one previous podium finish, coming second at a pre-Olympic race in Sochi, Russia in 2012.
North Vancouver, B.C., native Manuel Osborne-Paradis finished eighth in the training run at 1:59.80, while Montreal's Erik Guay placed 19th at 2:00.43.Thursday's session was delayed numerous times due to thick fog over the course, which is in the heart of the Dolomites Range.
Norwegian standout Kjetil Jansrud was flagged down during the middle of his run due to the fog then restarted from where he stopped after nearly half an hour. A super-G is scheduled for Friday on the Saslong, followed by the downhill on Saturday. The circuit then moves to nearby Alta Badia.
You can watch the men's Super-G final on Friday, and the downhill final on Saturday, streaming live on cbcsports.ca.
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