Manuel Osborne-Paradis (Vancouver, BC) won for the second time early in the 2009 / 2010 World Cup season, taking today’s classic Saslong downhill in Val Gardena, ITA.

Osborne-Paradis, who won the Bombardier Lake Louise Winterstart super-G last month, is the first Canadian to win twice in a season since Thomas Grandi won two giant slalom races in three days in December of 2004.

“Before Christmas normally I don’t ski that well,” said Osborne-Paradis, who now has two World Cup wins in his career. “But I have been getting better and I am figuring out these courses more and more, just becoming so much more confident on every course.”

“This is the first year that I have had a game plan on every course before I have got here, just with the experience that I have. I have put in my time and now it’s just paying off with me being able to know the courses,” he said.

Osborne-Paradis, the ninth racer of the day to leave the start hut, finished today’s race in a winning time of two minute 01.27 seconds. Austria’s Mario Scheiber put up the day’s greatest challenge to the Canadian’s time, finishing 0.13s behind. Ambrosi Hoffmann of Switzerland was third in 2:01.52.

Osborne-Paradis now has eight career World Cup podium results and has become the fifth Canadian male alpine ski racer with more than two career World Cup wins.

Osborne-Paradis downplayed the notion that his performace is motivated by the upcoming 2010 Olympic Winter Games in his hometown of Vancouver / Whistler.

“I am not peaking right now or skiing fast because I want to win at the Olympics. I am skiing fast because I wanted to win today,” he said.

Osborne-Paradis is not the first Canadian male to win a DH in Val Gardena. In fact, Rob Boyd, who is currently a coach for Canada’s ladies speed team, won there in 1986 and again the following year.

It was a very solid day overall for the Canadians, with Robbie Dixon (Whistler, BC) placing sixth in 2:01.77 and Erik Guay (Mont-Tremblant, QC) 11th in 2:02.13. Jan Hudec (Calgary, AB) finished in 36th place.