THE CANADIAN PRESS

He never doubted his ability, but to actually win his first World Cup race was golden for Manuel Osborne-Paradis.

Calling it a "downhiller's downhill," Osborne-Paradis had the fastest time in Friday's World Cup race on the Olympiabakken course in Kvitfjell, Norway. It was a good day for Canada with four Canadians finishing in the top-10.

"Last year I was on the bubble of thinking I could win," the 25-year-old from Invermere, B.C., said during a conference call. "This year I knew I could win.

"You show yourself you can and then it's easy. I think this last year I was at the point where I knew I could win, so why not go and do it?"

The victory was Osborne-Paradis' second podium finish of the season, following a third-place effort in Val Gardena, Italy, in December. It's also the fifth podium of his career, but the view from the top step is far more rewarding.

"Once you get your first podium you realize nobody really gives a shit until you win," he laughed. "That's what you push for."

The win also shows Osborne-Paradis and teammate John Kucera of Calgary, who won the downhill at the recent Alpine world championships, can be medal contenders at next year's Winter Olympic Games.

"You need these things to help you move forward," said Osborne-Paradis. "I could show up at the Olympics and have a whole bunch of 10th places and, confidence wise, I probably won't be showing up trying to win.

"These are the things that will motivate you in your head and motivate you on the snow to actually try and win and to believe in yourself."

Osborne-Paradis covered the 3,035-metre course in one minute 47.09 seconds. He was 0.31 seconds ahead of Austria's Michael Walchhofer. Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal, the 2007 overall champion, third in 1:47.46.

Robbie Dixon of Whistler, B.C., was fifth in 1:47.60; Kucera was seventh in 1:47.83; and Erik Guay of Mont-Tremblant, Que., was 10th in 1:47.92.

It was the first victory of the season for a Canadian skier. Previously, the men's team had managed just three World Cup podium finishes while the women have been shut out of the medals.

Osborne-Paradis said the mood within the men's team was positive.

"I don't think anybody has gotten too frustrated," he said. "Everybody knows they can do it. It is a coin toss at some races.

"I don't think anybody had got tired or upset with themselves."

Head coach Paul Kristofic said the men have had "a solid season" despite not being on the podium. Injuries to Jan Hudec and Francois Bourque also impacted the results.

"We've had a smaller group going through the year with pretty steady performances," he said. "It's been a bit of up and down.

"Each guy has moved through the season with some really strong results. We have learned a lot from those tougher days."

Osborne-Paradis was one of several Canadians who left Europe after the world championships and returned to Whistler, B.C., to train on the Olympic downhill course. The time paid dividends both on and off the slopes.

"When you get to go home, that's what really helped," he said. "You kind of clear out your mind, hang out with some friends. When you come back you are a new person.

"You now have forgotten about all those bad thoughts and put good thoughts in your head."

Mastering Kvitfjell has been a painful climb for Osborne-Paradis. He crashed in his first two training runs on the course Swiss downhill great Bernhard Russi designed for the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics.

.Last year he just missed the podium, finishing fourth and fifth.

"Before I wasn't a good enough skier to do well here," he said. "They were pretty bad crashes. It took a year to get that out of my head.

"Technically I've gotten a lot better. You can only go balls to the wall down the hill so many times before you end up in the net or crash. It was just a matter of time before I learned how to technically ski as well."

Some of the lessons can be applied to the Whistler Olympic course.

"I don't think it's that different at all," said Osborne-Paradis. "It has a lot of the same aspects.

"I think Whistler is a harder course but that doesn't mean anything other than we have to go for it a little bit more."

Kristofic said training at Whistler benefits the team not only in experience, but on the type of equipment that works best.

"Every run we make there is an advantage," he said. "It's a run that we're getting that no one else is.

"The more runs we get on the track with our newest equipment, the better. The information we can get to the ski companies makes sure we have the best equipment up there."

Winning a World Cup race adds Osborne-Paradis to an elite group Canadians that includes Ken Read, Steve Podborski, Rob Boyd and Edi Podivinsky

"It feels really good," he said. "To be named with all those guys is a big deal.

"Now I can be part of their group."