Story highlights Aksel Lund Svindal second in Are downhill Norwegian denied by fellow countryman Kjetil Jansrud Just 0.02 seconds separated the pair Are, Sweden (CNN) In the final race of his career, Aksel Lund Svindal made sure his last downhill was a knee-knocking thriller. Only 0.02 seconds separated the Olympic downhill champion from his teammate Kjetil Jansrud who took gold, crossing the line in 1:19.98 in difficult conditions to win his first world title. There was a moment during his run, with the snow falling and fog reducing visibility, that Svindal nipped ahead of race leader Jansrud and looked on course for a third world downhill title, but a wobble in the middle section set him back and the 36-year-old had to settle for silver, just as Jansrud did when Svindal took Olympic gold last year. Arms aloft, the Norwegian, the sentimental favorite, tilted his head back and looked up to the white sky and savored the applause near the finish line for one last time. Norwegian flags popped up like toast with his compatriots having traveled to the Swedish resort of Are in numbers to show their appreciation to one of their country's biggest sports stars. Svindal looks skywards after the men's downhill "It's a close race but it's a great race. I'm very happy with this," Svindal told reporters afterwards, admitting he had felt nervous in the build-up to his final race. Read More<doc-sep>Last updated on .From the section Winter Sports Compatriots Aksel Lund Svindal and Kjetil Jansrud completed a Norwegian one-two Double Olympic gold medallist Aksel Lund Svindal took world downhill silver in his final race at the Alpine World Ski Championships in Are on Saturday. The Norwegian marked his retirement by finishing 0.02 seconds behind compatriot Kjetil Jansrud, who claimed his first world title. Svindal, 36, is one of three skiers to win a medal at six world championships. Austrian Vincent Kriechmayr claimed bronze at 0.33sec to earn his second medal of the week in Sweden. Jansrud crossed the finish line in a time of 1min 19.98sec, with Svindal just two-hundredths off the pace. The scheduled start time of 11:30 GMT was pushed back an hour after low cloud and windy weather conditions. Svindal joins Kjetil Andre Aamodt (seven) and Marc Girardelli (six) as the only three skiers to have won a medal at six world championships. American star Lindsey Vonn is also hoping to join the elite shortlist when she competes in her farewell downhill race on Sunday.<doc-sep>When it comes to ski racing, it's the end of an era. This weekend, Lindsey Vonn and Aksel Lund Svindal will burst out of the start gate and barrel down the mountain for the final time at the world championships in Are, Sweden. One is a star-spangled, American, superstar. The other has embraced the persona of an attacking Viking. Together they have changed the sport of alpine skiing forever. They already claim status as living legends. I started covering ski racing as both Vonn and Svindal came to prominence. Olympic champion Kerrin Lee-Gartner insisted I descend the icy downhill course at Lake Louise while on skis the very first weekend I was there in the early winter of 2004. She just wanted me to have an understanding of what I was getting into. My fear almost overwhelmed me but somehow, through a combination of slip sliding and snowplowing, I crept my way to the bottom of the treacherous track without Kerrin feeling compelled to hold my hand. I could not possibly imagine racing the course at speeds in excess of 120 km/h as all the athletes, male and female, regularly do. As it was I have never been more frightened in my life. A few days later I watched as a teenager named Lindsey Kildow (later to become Vonn) won her first World Cup race on the same forbidding slope. You could tell she was going to be something special. The fire within It was the next season that the enormous presence of Svindal came into focus. I stood in the mixed zone at the finish line in the shadow of the Rockies and witnessed the mighty Norwegian storm to his first World Cup victory in the super-G. Interviewing him was like speaking with a friendly giant. He was open, gracious, and just beginning to understand his power and potential. "Aksel is the man. He's thoughtful and a true competitor," says Manny Osborne-Paradis a Canadian downhiller who raced against Svindal throughout his career. "The fire he has within is like no one else I've ever met. The purpose, grit, and mettle he shows while he trains and races inspired me. His mental tenacity blows me away." The most prolific ski racer in Canadian history is two-time world champion Erik Guay. Although a fierce rival of Svindal's, he's quick to recognize what made the Norwegian ace the leader of the pack. "Svindal is a legend in the ski racing industry. He has won everything possible and has been there for years and years," Guay says. "On top of his ability to win, he cares about his competitors, he cares about the sport, and he is very generous with his time. "I think that makes him a great human being and not just a great champion." In cases like this, when athletic figures who have become household names in any given sport call it a career, the default position is to rely on statistics which reveal how prolific they've been. And although Vonn and Svindal are both Olympic champions and have collected between them, seven Olympic medals, seven world championship crowns, 31 crystal globes (or season titles), and a whopping 118 World Cup victories, the numbers fall short of truly reflecting their greatness. It's the way they won that really mattered. 'Falling and rising again' Both Svindal and Vonn endured horrific crashes and devastating injuries on numerous occasions. But like undaunted gladiators they returned to the fray to flourish over and over again. "They always came back and won," says four-time Olympian and CBC Sports analyst Brian Stemmle, who himself survived a life-threatening accident in the Hahnenkamm downhill at Kitzbuehel. WATCH | Vonn crashes out in the 2nd-last race of her career: Analysis: What Vonn's latest crash means for her future and the sport Sports 1:30 CBC Sports' Signa Butler discusses and analyzes Lindsey Vonn's crash in the final super-G race of her career at the alpine skiing world championships in Are, Sweden. 1:30 "What makes them such compelling champions are the tall tales that go along with the medals and the trophies. An athlete's story of falling and rising again separates the legends from the greats. Simply put, they were both winners." Retired racer Kelly VanderBeek now commentates on skiing for CBC. She has shared the World Cup podium on more than one occasion with Vonn and remains an admirer and friend. "Vonn brought a level of intensity to her training and racing unlike anything I've ever seen before or since. She wanted to win – always – and she did the work to do just that, win," VanderBeek marvels. "Lindsey has found a way to transcend sport, sex, and borders to be known worldwide. If that's not an X-factor I don't know what is." Indeed, Vonn is not only the most decorated female racer in World Cup history, she also popularized the sport and her own personal brand to the point where she has become an international celebrity. Vonn wanted to race against the men and challenged convention when it came to the role of women in sport. "Lindsey Vonn raised the bar in every way," reckons Olympic downhill champion and ski analyst Lee-Gartner, who has called every one of Vonn's landmark 18 World Cup wins in Canada and many more internationally. "Her ski legacy may be her record number of victories but I believe her life legacy may be her work ethic combined with her social media presence which has helped to show young girls that they can do anything." WATCH | Lindsey Vonn tells CBC Sports she'll be back in Canada: Vonn tells CBC Sports: I'll be back in Canada (my boyfriend is from Toronto) Sports 1:10 American ski star Lindsey Vonn says she will compete one last time on Sunday despite her crash, won't let her career end in the nets. 1:10 Stemmle agrees with Lee-Gartner's assessment of Vonn's contribution to her sport. According to him, it goes well beyond the field of play and her legacy is bound to endure. "Vonn has had a massive impact on bringing ski racing to mainstream media," he suggests.<doc-sep>Jansrud, 33, made light of the falling snow and poor visibility to win by 0.02 seconds and claim a first world title, having won the Olympic Super-G gold at Sochi in 2014. Aksel Lund Svindal: 'It's so emotional, but I'm super happy with my final race' World Championships Chasing History: Vonn bows out with brilliant bronze 17/02/2019 AT 19:31 Olympic downhill champion Svindal, who will end his glittering career after the championships, came agonisingly close to becoming the first man to win three downhill world titles - a small mistake in the closing stages of his run probably costing the 36-year-old a fairytale gold. "It’s so emotional for me. Right now, I am just super happy with this race – of course being the last one and with their being so many Norwegians here. I thought it would be the right thing to do to give it a hell of a show – Jansrud first and me second," said Svindal. "Coming in I was two hundredths behind and there was a six tenths gap to Matthias Mayer – I was thinking this is looking pretty good. Last year, Kjetil and I did the same thing in the Olympics but I won the gold, so he deserves it today. Kjetil is nearly as old as I am so he will take over the dad character for sure! I think we have a cool team, we work hard on that too. How many days do you get like this every year? This is like one in a thousand, or one in a hundred. You really have to make it a life worth living as a downhill skier. "It's been an emotional couple of weeks, and I was ready to get this over with to be honest and hammer it one last time and that’s it! I am happy we did well today." Kjetil Jansrud: 'You ski with your heart' Svindal becomes only the third man to win medals at six different world championships. Austria's Vincent Kriechmayr was third, 0.33 seconds back, to earn his second medal of the week after sharing silver with Johan Clarey in the Super-G. 'Unbelievable scenes!' - Jansrud sets pace with stunning downhill run Jansrud had an anxious wait in the finish because Austrian Hannes Reichelt, one of the favourites, was the 45th starter. However, despite a strong start a big error wiped out his chances and the Norwegian's celebrations could start. The race had been delayed for an hour with low cloud at the top of the course but organisers decided to run it despite heavy snow falling throughout. After silver medals in combined and Super-G in the last two world championships, Jansrud, who has struggled in the speed events this season, finally made it one step further up the podium as he beat his great friend and rival. "We've been lucky enough to share a few one-twos," Jansrud said in the finish after Austrian Hannes Reichelt, the 45th starter despite wearing bib number one, failed to threaten to spoil the Vikings' party. "I had missed a (world gold) until now so that makes it bigger. Doing this in Aksel's last race is a real honour. It's a perfect day. Otmar Striedinger suffers horror finish on world downhill run "I brought everything I had in my heart and mind today." Super-G winner Dominik Paris, who came sixth, suggested the race should not have been run. "It was tough with the weather," the Italian said. "I'm happy for Aksel in his last race but maybe they shouldn't have started today. It was foggy, then it started snowing hard and there was too much snow on the race line." Reichelt, one of the quickest in the training runs, had deliberately given himself a low starting place by not showing up for the bib ceremony, but his gamble backfired as he got snagged in some soft snow and lost time. Switzerland's Beat Feuz, who was bidding to become the first man to successfully defend the downhill world title since compatriot Bernhard Russi won in 1970 and in 1972, was fourth. World Championships Chasing History: Vonn reflects on her crash in the Super G 17/02/2019 AT 19:21<doc-sep>
ARE, Sweden -- If anyone had to beat Aksel Lund Svindal in his final race, he seemed just fine with it being Norwegian teammate Kjetil Jansrud. After an emotional moment when he leaned back, stretched his arms out and looked to the sky, Svindal was all smiles despite finishing a close second in the downhill at the world championships on Saturday. Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal reacts in the finish area after the men's downhill race, at the alpine ski World Championships in Are, Sweden. AP Photo/Marco Trovati Amid a crowd of thousands of flag-waving Norwegian fans, Svindal playfully pointed at Jansrud after finishing 0.02 seconds behind in a race that was characterized by thick fog and heavy snowfall, which caused an hour's delay. Vincent Kriechmayr of Austria came in third, 0.33 behind, to add to his silver medal from super-G earlier in the week. Svindal, 36, the two-time Olympic champion and five-time world champion, announced last month that he would retire after this race. Jansrud was racing with a broken left hand following a fall in training in Kitzbuehel, Austria, 2 1/2 weeks ago. Doctors had told Jansrud to sit out for six weeks but he couldn't pass up the chance of racing at a worlds so close to home. Already an Olympic champion in super-G at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, this is Jansrud's first world title, adding to his two silvers at worlds. While Svindal just missed out on a chance to become the first man to win the downhill world title three times, he still joined Kjetil Andre Aamodt and Marc Girardelli as the only skiers to collect a medal at six different world championships. Beat Feuz of Switzerland, the previous downhill champion, finished fourth, and former Olympic downhill champion Matthias Mayer of Austria came fifth. The top American finisher was Bryce Bennett in ninth. Otmar Striedinger of Austria crashed coming over the huge final jump and slid across the finish line after both skis dislodged. He got right back up, though, and waved to signal he had avoided major injury. The women's downhill, which will be Lindsey Vonn's final race before she retires, is scheduled for Sunday.