Aleksander Aamodt Kilde has won three of this season's four downhill races ©Getty Images

Aleksander Aamodt Kilde returned to winning ways in the second downhill contest at Val Gardena, edging out Johan Clarey.

Frenchman Clarey - 41 - was denied what would have been a maiden Alpine Ski World Cup victory by 0.35sec.

Norway's Kilde had won two of this season's previous three downhill races entering the day and demonstrated why with an assured ski on the longer course.

This was the 100th World Cup race on the Saslong piste and Kilde put the memory of an underwhelming fifth-place finish in Thursday's (December 15) downhill firmly in the rearview.

After being usurped by Kilde, Clarey had to settle for second place and Italy's Mattia Casse was third from bib 27 for a maiden World Cup podium.

Casse was 0.42sec off Kilde's pace.

France's Adrien Theaux was fourth - his best result in more than four years - and Canadian James Crawford fifth.

Johan Clarey has finished on the World Cup podium 10 times but is still waiting for his first win ©Getty Images
Johan Clarey has finished on the World Cup podium 10 times but is still waiting for his first win ©Getty Images

World Cup leader Marco Odermatt was seventh.

Kilde is now 111 points behind the Swiss in the overall standings, with 525 points versus 636.

No other skier has hit the 300-point mark.

The men's Alpine Ski World Cup circuit now heads to Alta Badia for two giant slalom races, starting tomorrow.

It means there is no opportunity to make up yesterday's super-G which had to be cancelled because of bad weather.