( CNN ) -- Less is proving to be more for Christof Innerhofer , who equaled an Italian skiing record by claiming his third World Cup victory this season on Saturday . The 28-year-old 's pre-season preparations were hampered by a back problem , but he is enjoying his best campaign following his downhill win at Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Germany -- where he won a full collection of gold , silver and bronze medals at the 2011 world championships . `` I struggled a lot during the preparation period , '' Innerhofer said on the FIS World Cup website after matching the feat of compatriot Kristian Ghedina in the 1996-97 season . `` To think I won three times after not being sure if I would even be here this season is something very special . All I want to keep thinking about is how to keep this momentum and get faster every race . '' Innerhofer , who was 14th in the downhill at this month 's world championships , triumphed by just 0.12 seconds from surprise runner-up Georg Streitberger . With Klaus Kroll claiming third , Austria became the first country to pass 500 World Cup podiums in any discipline , men or women . `` It 's a perfect day , '' said Streitberger , who was fourth in the world championships on home snow at Schladming , where Austria 's only individual gold came on the final day last Sunday for overall World Cup leader Marcel Hirscher in the slalom . `` My last podium was in Kitzbuhel in 2011 and since then I struggled with an injury , and to come back and finish on the podium is amazing , '' he said . `` I was very fast in the first section , than I might have lost the victory in the middle due to some small mistakes but altogether it 's an incredible day . '' With world champion Aksel Lund Svindal finishing fifth to remain on top of the downhill standings , Hirscher holds a 169-point lead over the Norwegian going into Sunday 's giant slalom -- where he will take on three-time Schladming gold medalist Ted Ligety of the U.S . Meanwhile , Tina Maze maintained her massive lead in the women 's World Cup standings with fourth place in the downhill at Meribel in France on Saturday . The Slovenian is 858 points clear of Germany 's Maria Hofl-Riesch , who took second place behind Spain 's surprise victor Carolina Ruiz Castillo . Ruiz-Castillo claimed her maiden win , and only her second podium placing -- some 13 years after her first in a giant slalom in Sestriere , Italy . Born in Chile , but a longtime Spain representative at international level , the 31-year-old became the first skier from her country to win a women 's World Cup downhill . `` So far it 's been my best season and I 'm incredibly happy about what happened today '' , she said . `` This is the result of a lot of work and the collaboration with the French team . I 've been training as a full member of their team for a year now and it 's paying off . `` Sharing the successes of my French teammates at the world championships was really inspiring . I already knew I could be as fast as them or even faster sometimes in trainings and found the opportunity to show it today . '' France 's surprise world champion Marion Rolland was back in 10th , but teammate Marie Marchand-Arvier took the final podium place -- the fifth of her career and her first this season . It was the first World Cup women 's race held at Meribel since 1994 , and only the sixth ever .
Christof Innerhofer becomes second Spanish skier to win three races in World Cup . He bounces back after winning no medals at this the final day last Sunday 's world championships in Austria . Georg Streitberger 's second place makes Austria first nation to reach 500 a World Cup season podiums . Georg Streitberger 's becomes first Spanish woman to win a World Cup downhill race .