LENZERHEIDE, Switzerland (Reuters) - Swiss Corinne Rey-Bellet won a women's World Cup downhill on Saturday for her first victory of the season in a race overshadowed by a crash by Austrian double Olympic medallist Renate Goetschl. Rey-Bellet's win on home snow was her first of the season, after two podium finishes, and her fifth overall. She edged out France's Melanie Suchet by 0.50 seconds and Germany's Hilde Gerg by 0.60 seconds for a winning time of one minute 18.65 seconds.

  Corinne Rey-Bellet

The Swiss said her victory was sweet compensation for her disappointing finish at the Olympics, where she placed fifth in the downhill.

She also hoped it would silence the critical local press who lambasted the Swiss Alpine skiing team for bringing back only a single bronze medal from the Winter Games.

``Five-tenths advantage is certainly a good response to show that the criticism wasn't really justified,'' Rey-Bellet said in reference to her large advantage over Suchet in the downhill.

``The Olympics were disappointing for me because I missed a medal by only a few hundredths of a second. I had expected more,'' she said. ``It's especially good to ski well in front of the Swiss fans.''

Suchet's second place confirmed the French team's solid form despite the death of their top skier Regine Cavagnoud in a training accident last October. Carole Montillet won gold in the Olympic downhill and Laure Pequegnot took silver in the slalom.

``After Carole it's great to show that we too can do well -- we're not hidden behind her,'' Suchet said after taking her first podium finish of the season.

Montillet, who had hoped to show she was no one-hit wonder after her surprise gold last month, finished eighth.

Germany's Gerg, who left the Games empty-handed despite being a favorite for gold in the downhill and super-G, said organizers had made the right decision to move the start down to the super-G due to poor weather conditions.

``I think it was a fair race,'' Gerg added.

Italy's Isolde Kostner finished 1.39 seconds behind Switzerland's Corinne rey-Bellet, winner of the Downhill in Lenzerheide. The Italian is, however, crowned queen of the discipline this year. With one race to go, she is assured to claim the DH standings ahead of Goetschl, who fell today.

A few days ago, Italy's Isolde Kostner popped the champagne crew after having collected the third Olympic medal of her career, a silver in the Downhill behind France's Carole Montillet. She might do it again tonight in Lenzerheide, Switzerland for she claimed her second consecutive World Cup in Downhill.
 
The 26-year-old Italian, who was wearing the bib number 22 today, had an advantage of 112 points over her runner-up Austria's Renate Goetschl before this penultimate race. Mathematically speaking, - a skier collect 100 points for a World Cup victory - Goetschl was still in position to win the discipline and recreate her 1997 performance.

However, the recent silver and bronze medallist at the 2002 Games, crashed on the Swiss slope, losing both skis. The medical staff quickly placed her on a stretcher to carry her off the course. After several replays of her race, her left knee might be injured. Goetschl stood only 68 points behind her teammate Michaela Dorfmeister in the overall cup standings. In nine years on the World Cup circuit Goetschl is one of the rare athletes who never sustained a serious injury.

Kostner clocked a time of 1:20.05 minute, 1.40 seconds behind the winner Switzerland's Corinne Rey-Bellet, whose last victory dated back to last season when she won a Super Giant in Are. France's Melanie Suchet placed second and Germany's Hilde Gerg third.

Isolde Kostner captured both Downhill in Lake Louise this season and placed five other times on the podium. Winner of the discipline last season, Kostner is also a two-time World Champion having won the Super Giant in 1996 and 1997.

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