Staudacher Wins Men's Super-G Title

ARE, Sweden (AP) -- Patrick Staudacher gave Italy its first super-G title ever at a men's Alpine Skiing World Championship on Tuesday.

Newly-crowned world super-G champion Patrick Staudacher, seen here racing in the men's Super-G event at the Alpine World Ski Championships in Are, Sweden, blushed with embarrassed pride after becoming Italy's first world ski champion since the great Alberto Tomba.(AFP/Fabrice Coffrini)

Staudacher, who recently returned from eye surgery, took advantage of an early start number to charge down the Olympia course in a winning time of 1 minute, 14.30 seconds for the first major victory of his career.

Italy's Patrick Staudacher has stunned a host of favourites to win the men's super-G crown at the world ski championships in Are, Sweden.(AFP/Olivier Morin)

"After I came down I was expecting a top-5 or top-6 result," said the 26-year-old Italian, who had the stitches removed for his cornea operation a week ago. "Being at the very top now is crazy."

Staudacher had never before climbed the podium in either a World Cup or world championship race.

Italy's Patrick Staudacher is interviewed after winning the gold medal in the Men's Super-G at the World Alpine Ski Chmpionships in Are, Sweden, Tuesday Feb. (AP/SERGEY PONOMAREV)

"No one from my home town is here today," he said. "They're all coming for the downhill. No one was expecting this."

Defending champion Bode Miller of the United States finished way out of contention after several mistakes, losing almost half a second after hitting a gate with his shoulder on the bottom part of the course.

Bode Miller of he United States races to the 21st place, during the Men's Super-G, at the World Alpine Ski Championships in Are, Sweden, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2007. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)

Miller, who won the super-G on this course at last year's World Cup finals, took a lot of risk on the upper section of the course but was perhaps too aggressive and took too tight a line. It also appeared that Miller may have hurt his wrist.

"That's how skiing goes," Miller told the host broadcasters SVT. "I risked it all and I lost."

Austrian Fritz Strobl, the 20th skier out of the start, captured the silver medal with a time of 1:14.62.

Austria's Fritz Strobl powers past a gate on his way to clocking the second fastest time during the Men's Super-G, at the World Alpine Ski Championships in Are, Sweden, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2007. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)

"When I crossed the finish line I didn't have a good feeling. I felt I could have done more, given more," said the 2002 Olympic downhill champion, who was a controversial selection of the Austrian super-G squad at the championship. "This is great now, though, because there was a lot of talk when I was chosen to race. But I always said I'm not a joker but an ace."

Strobl was angry, however, about the starting order rules of the International Ski Federation, which reverses the top-30 skiers in the discipline ranked on the World Cup. It means the world's best super-G skier begins 30th when the course is usually rutted and chopped up.

"To have a late start number here was a disadvantage for every top runner," said the Austrian veteran. "It's not fair. We are the puppets of the FIS."

Switzerland's Bruno Kernen took the bronze in 1:14.92.

"Naturally I am enormously pleased," Kernen said. "In the finish area I was sure my time would not be good enough. I kept losing pressure on my outside ski. Now I have medal. That's unbelievable.

"In the upper and lower third you needed a lot of feeling. The middle section was very icy and you had to be merciless."

Austria' Hermann Maier races to the seventh place, during the Men's Super-G, at the World Alpine Ski Championships in Are, Sweden, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2007. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)

This was the first title awarded at the championships, where racing was delayed for three days because of strong winds and heavy snowfalls.

"The conditions were perfect today," said American Steven Nyman, who covered his head with his hands in the finish after crossing only 12th, .90 off the winning pace. "The snow was perfect and there was no wind."

Staudacher's previous best career result was sixth in a World Cup downhill at Bormio, Italy, earlier this season. His best super-G performance was eighth at Hinterstoder, Austria, in December.

Italy's Patrick Staudacher speeds down the course on his way to winning the Men's Super-G, at the World Alpine Ski Championships in Are, Sweden, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2007. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

In addition to eye surgery, Staudacher was also coming back from a left knee injury after a fall in training 10 days ago in Italy.

"It's a big surprise," said Italian coach Adriano Ilisse. "We were all expecting Peter Fill to do better ... But Patrick has been coming along and he skied perfectly today."

Fill finished 14th, 1.01 behind.

Italy's previous best result in a men's super-G at the worlds was a fifth-place finish by Alberto Tomba at Vail in 1989.

Austria's Hermann Maier reacts after finishing his run in the Men's Super-G at the World Alpine Ski Chmpionships in Are, Sweden, Tuesday Feb. 6, 2007. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

World Cup overall leader Aksel Lund Svindal was disappointed with his 13th place finish.

"I thought it was a good run until I looked at the scoreboard," the Norwegian said. "I should never have looked because my race wasn't very good. It was a lot slower than I thought."

He added Staudacher was a surprising winner.

"He was close to the podium in Bormio, but it is a huge surprise that he wins," he said.

By ERICA BULMAN
AP Sports Writer
Feb 6, 2007, 7:08 AM EST
Associated Press writers Andrew Dampf and Mattias Karen contributed to this report.

Italy's Patrick Staudacher celebrates on the podium after winning the gold medal in the Men's Super-G at the World Alpine Ski Chmpionships in Are, Sweden, Tuesday Feb. 6, 2007. At left is Austria's Fritz Strobl who placed, 2nd and at right Switzerland's Bruno Kernen who took 3rd place. (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev)

***

Paerson Successfully Defends Ski Title

ARE, Sweden (AP) -- Anja Paerson of Sweden won her second straight world title in the women's super-giant slalom Tuesday and American Lindsey Kildow captured silver for her first world championship medal.

Anja Paerson of Sweden speeds down the course on her way to winning the Women's Super-G, at the World Alpine Ski Championships in Are, Sweden, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2007. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)

Paerson, winless on the World Cup circuit this season after having knee surgery last spring, raced down the sun-soaked WM Strecke course in 1 minute, 18.85 seconds.

"It's a dream for me," said Paerson, who won her fifth world title. "I didn't believe I could win this super-G here as I did in Bormio at the last world championships. I was nervous in the start hut because I'd been testing new skis and boots at home in Tarnaby recently. But 10 seconds into the race, I knew it was going to be OK."

Kildow was second in 1:19.17, leading two other U.S. women into the top 10. She raced aggressively on the upper section, hitting speeds of 62 mph.

US Lindsey Kildow competes during the women's Super-G at the Alpine World Ski Championships in Are. Anja Paerson of Sweden won ahead of Kildow and Renate Goetschl of Austria.(AFP/Fabrice Coffrini)

"I'm so glad to finally get one," Kildow said. "It's a super start to this world championship. Any medal is a good medal. Today I proved myself."

Renate Goetschl of Austria, who has dominated this event on the World Cup circuit this season with victories in three of the five super-G races, won the bronze medal in 1:19.38.

Renate Goetschl of Austria speeds down the course during the Women's Super-G, at the World Alpine Ski Championships in Are, Sweden, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2007. Goetschl finished in third place. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)

"I made a lot of mistakes, but when you take risks that can happen," Goetschl said. "Anja was really fast today and there was no way to win without taking a lot of risk. I'm lucky to get the bronze."

American Julia Mancuso was sixth in 1:19.63, while Libby Ludlow was ninth in 1:20.08.

The world championships finally got under way Tuesday after three days of delays because of strong winds and heavy snowfalls. The men also raced a super-G Tuesday that was won by Italy's Patrick Staudacher.

Paerson won gold in the slalom and bronze medals in the downhill and combined at the 2006 Turin Olympics. At the last world championships in Bormio, Italy, she won the super-G and giant slalom and took silver in the combined.

She also has the advantage of knowing the Are slopes better than any of her competitors. She grew up in Tarnaby, about a five-hour drive away. She won the downhill in Are during last year's World Cup finals.

Paerson has struggled on the World Cup circuit this season. After she failed to finish a giant slalom in Cortina, Italy, on Jan. 21, she skipped the next event and returned to Sweden to find "harmony and rhythm" before the world championships on home soil.

The solution Paerson found was to adjust her boots, which she said had been forcing her knees into bad angles on the slopes and preventing her from attacking the courses.

"The break allowed me to straighten out some things with my materials, my boots especially," Paerson said. "Also, it took the pressure off me and helped me regain the pleasure of skiing.

"My season so far has been disappointing, so it was really sweet to have a performance like this. I didn't forget how to ski."

By ERICA BULMAN
AP Sports Writer
Feb 6, 2007, 9:57 AM EST

***

Are: Paerson golden, Kildow nabs SG silver

ARE, Sweden — Just an hour or so after Italy's Patrick Staudacher stunned the men's super G field to kick off the 2007 Alpine Ski World Championships, homeland heroine Anja Paerson, struggling through one of her worst career seasons, stepped up to capture women's super G gold ahead of American Lindsey Kildow.

Sweden's Anja Paerson celebrates after winning the gold medal in the Women's Super-G at the World Alpine Ski Chmpionships in Are, Sweden, Tuesday Feb. 6, 2007. (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev)

In a dramatic 10-minute stretch, Canadian Britt Janyk fell from leading the race to just out of the medals in a tie for fourth, as Austrian Renate Goetschl seized bronze out of the 31st start position.

Janyk and Austrian Nicole Hosp were fourth and American Julia Mancuso was sixth, while U.S. teammate Lubby Ludlow, who led for much of the race, finished a strong ninth.

Paerson, from nearby Taernaby, Sweden, completed her run in 1 minute, 18.85 seconds, with Kildow .32 back and Goetschl .55 behind.

Paerson, 25, now has five World Championships gold and seven total medals. It is her second super G world title, having taken gold in 2005 at Santa Caterina, Italy. She also has two GS titles and a slalom crown, plus five Olympic medals.

Paerson has two career super G wins, but her best result in the discipline this season had been sixth twice, at Lake Louise in December and Cortina last month.

Spectators wave Swedish national flags as they watch the Men's Super-G at the World Alpine Ski Chmpionships in Are, Sweden, Tuesday Feb. 6, 2007. (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev)

American Kirsten Clark was tied for 20th as all four American starters finished in the top 20.

Ludlow, the 10th skier out of the start house, led until Janyk ripped down the course wearing bib No. 18. The Canadian’s lead held up until Paerson electrified the home crowd six skiers later.

Mancuso, starting 27th, bettered Paerson’s start by 0.08, and hit 100.7 kph on the speed trap, but she lost time on the lower half of the course. She was in the medals at third before Hosp, skiing 29th, knocked her out.

By Ski Racing Magazine
Tuesday, 06 February 2007

Sweden's Anja Paerson, center, celebrates during the flower ceremony after winning the gold medal in the Women's Super-G at the World Alpine Ski Chmpionships in Are, Sweden, Tuesday Feb. 6, 2007. At left is Lindsey Kildow of the United States who took the silver and at right is Austria's Renate Goetschl who took the bronze. (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev)

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