KVITFJELL, Norway - Canadian skier Manuel Osborne-Paradis recorded his first World Cup downhill victory Friday, edging Michael Walchhofer of Austria by 0.31 seconds.

The 25-year-old from Invermere, B.C., covered the 3,035-metre Olympiabakken course built for the 1994 Winter Olympics in one minute 47.09 seconds. His previous best downhill result was a second place at Lake Louise, Alta., in 2007.

Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal, the 2007 overall champion, was 0.37 seconds behind Osborne-Paradis in third place.

Walchhofer closed in on the downhill title by finishing runner-up. Two downhills remain in the season, one in Kvitfjell on Saturday and one next week during the World Cup Finals at Are, Sweden.

Bode Miller, the defending overall champion, won't ski again this season and sat out the last two weekends in Europe.

The American, who had a second and a first place in two downhills at Kvitfjell last year, was virtually out of the running to repeat as overall champion.