France's Adrien Theaux was all smiles on top of the podium after winning his second career World Cup downhill race in the Norwegian resort of Kvitfjell.\n\nTheaux -- who last won a downhill in Lenzerheide Switzerland two seasons ago -- took full advantage of the changing conditions to clock a winning time of one minute 29.10 seconds on a course shortened\nbecause of gale-force winds at the top.\n\nDownhill world champion and local hope Aksel Lund Svindal was second. The Norwegian was denied a first victory on the downhill course of the 1994 Olympics by just under two tenths of a second.\n\nSvindal -- a two time overall world cup champion -- stretches his lead at the top of the downhill standings and also closed the gap on overall leader Marcel Hirscher to 129 points with eight races remaining before the end of the season on 17 March.\n\nDownhill World Cup holder Klaus Kroell of Austria was third half a\nsecond adrift as he remains in the hunt to defend his crown.\n\nKroell is second in the downhill standings 58 points behind Svindal.\n\nThe weekend's action in Kvitfjell ends with Sunday's Super-G race.