BORMIO, Italy (AP) _ Austrian powerhouse Stephan
Eberharter regained his confidence as well as the World Cup overall lead Saturday, winning a men's downhill in commanding fashion. The Austrian, who had been struggling to recover his form following a knee injury last month, came back with a vengeance, finishing a whopping .48 ahead of his nearest rival, teammate Michael Walchhofer.

The defending overall, downhill and super-G champion, Eberharter tore down the steep, arduous Stelvio course in 1 minute, 59.27 minutes to hand Austria its first victory in nine races. The win sent the calm, reserved Eberharter into uncharacteristic fits of joy, the Austrian performing a hip-wiggling Hawaiian dance in the finish area in jubilation. American Daron Rahlves, who won the last downhill here in December, once again climbed the podium, crossing third in 2:00.04.

The victory was important for Eberharter, who was seeking to regain his confidence and make up lost ground after a three-week break due to a knee injury sustained in Val d'Isere in early December. The Austrian missed a downhill and super-G in Val Gardena and a giant slalom in Alta Badia before Christmas because of his knee injury, losing chances at gaining valuable points in the defense of his lead. Eberharter was temporarily replaced by Bode Miller atop the overall standings last week in Kranjska Gora, where the American won a giant slalom. Miller, who has emerged as a threat in the speed events this season, finished eighth, 1.24 off the pace. "I'm not surprised," Miller said of Eberharter's victory. "He wants to win more than anything. He knows what to do, he's level-headed and under pressure he can come out and win. He does it over and over again. "He won the first three downhills this season, so who could be surprised to see him come back this way?" It marked Eberharter's fourth downhill victory of the season.

The Austrian now leads the overall standings with 655 points. Miller is in second with 610. The competition threatens to be fierce between the two, with Eberharter dominating the speed events and Miller racing in all four disciplines, but failing to score any points in the slalom so far this season. "I want to win and he wants to win. We'll just have to wait and see the outcome," Miller said.

The day was overshadowed by A.J. Bear's ugly crash. The Australian, 51st out of the start hut, horrified spectators and television viewers alike as he lost his balance on the last jump before the finish line, diving head first and tumbling forward, lying in a limp heap on the snow.
Bear, who trains with the British skiers, was airlifted to hospital by helicopter and given oxygen. He suffered a concussion and was suspected to have broken his arm, though his condition was still uncertain.

AP, 11.01.2003 

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