Alpine ski: Deneriaz wins downhill

SESTRIERE, Italy (Reuters) - Frenchman Antoine Deneriaz snatched victory from Austrian favorite Michael Walchhofer to become Olympic downhill champion on Sunday in the first Alpine skiing event of the Turin Games.

France's Antoine Deneriaz makes a turn during the men's Olympic downhill race at the Torino 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Sestriere, Italy, February 12, 2006. (Ruben Sprich/Reuters)

Deneriaz, 29, who has not won a World Cup race in more than two years and who started with unfavored bib number 30, beat World Cup holder Walchhofer by 0.72 seconds to win the first major title of his career.

"I had the race of my life today," Deneriaz told reporters.

Switzerland's Bruno Kernen took the bronze, 1.02 seconds behind Deneriaz's time of one minute 48.80 seconds on the icy Kandahar Banchetta course.

Norwegian Kjetil Andre Aamodt, who had hoped to win a record eighth Olympic medal, was pushed into fourth place and said he had injured his left knee on a jump near the top. World champion Bode Miller of the United States was fifth.

Austrian Fritz Strobl, who wanted to become the first Olympic downhill champion to successfully defend his title, was back in eighth place, behind his team mate Hermann Maier and Liechtenstein's Marco Buechel.

American Daron Rahlves, who had been the fastest man in training, was also left empty-handed after finishing a disappointing 10th.

Deneriaz had been quickest in final training on Saturday but was annoyed his time put him in the 30th start position, when he feared the course would have started breaking up.

He stunned the favorites waiting at the finish line, however, by setting the fastest time on every section of the 3.3-km course to join a host of previous surprise Olympic downhill champions.

CHAMPAGNE

"I was so sure I could do it that I had already ordered the champagne yesterday," Deneriaz said. "I was really convinced I could do it today.

"I was in another world today, like nothing could happen to me."

In 1998, another Frenchman, Jean-Luc Cretier, won the Olympic downhill despite never having won a World Cup race, while 1994 champion Tommy Moe of the United States won just once on the season-long tour in his career.

"This means that the Olympic law holds true -- the law that the guy who wins the Olympics is always someone unexpected," Strobl told reporters in the finish area.

Deneriaz has won three World Cup races but had never done better than eighth in a world championships or Olympic Games.

Walchhofer, who is on course to win the downhill World Cup for the second consecutive season, said he was happy with silver -- his first Olympic medal -- after making mistakes on the upper part of the course.

Kernen, 33, who was world downhill champion back in 1997, was also delighted to be on the podium.

"My dream was to get an Olympic medal before retiring so I am more than happy," he said.

By Clare Fallon
Updated on Sunday, Feb 12, 2006

***

Alpine ski: Elvis headpieces, clanging cowbells, tricolor wigs spice up men's downhill

SESTRIERE, Italy (AP) -- The biggest banner at the Olympic men's downhill Sunday was a French flag waved by fans wearing wigs in the national red, white and blue. Nearby, a rowdy pack chanted "Switzerland! Switzerland! Switzerland!" and clanged cowbells in a deafening cacophony.

They had a lot to celebrate -- more than they might have imagined -- in the performances of surprise downhill gold medalist Antoine Deneriaz of France and bronze medalist Bruno Kernen of Switzerland.

"I'm absolutely speechless!" said 25-year-old Mylene Duverney, a member of the (now gold medalist) Antoine Deneriaz fan club. She had to shout to be heard over chants of "Il a gagne! Il a gagne! Il a gagne" -- He won! He won! He won!

"This is just too much! It's complete madness!"

The international melting pot at the bottom of the Kandahar Banchetta course was weird and wonderful: Scots in kilts blaring bagpipes, Aussies waving an inflatable plastic kangaroo called Skippy, beer-swigging Italians who -- perhaps in a riff on American party boy Bode Miller -- enjoyed watching wasted.

Then there was the deadpan Swiss man wearing a bouffant Elvis hairpiece.

"No, Elvis is not skiing today. But he'll be coming down from the sky at 1 p.m. in a helicopter," joked 41-year-old Eric Mairet.

The Americans and Austrians -- whose stars had been favored to compete for gold -- were comparatively sedate.

A group of Americans cheered on Miller and Daron Rahlves with little American flags poking from their ball caps and headbands.

But the decibel level never matched that of three Australians, the lone members of the Craig Branch fan club. They had flown in to cheer on their compatriot, who started first and finished 32nd.

"Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!" the trio erupted in an earsplitting roar as Branch tore down the mountain.

After the run, 32-year-old Paul Sustek started jumping up and down in mock excitement, screaming: "He's first! He's first!"

In contrast, most of the Austrian fans were not at the finishing line but up in the bleacher section, calmly waving their national flags.

Alcohol flowed freely without regard to nationality or fan favorites.

Many fans had red-rimmed eyes from drinking beer two hours before the noon start time.

Five empty bottles of "Didier Defago Fan Club Wine" lay near chanting supporters of the Swiss skier. A few red drops stained the snow.

Victory was all the sweeter for the French because of a series of crises that have soured the national mood: The loss of the Summer Olympics to London, a wave of riots in poor immigrant suburbs, soul-searching over the future of the European Union.

"This is definitely a recompense," said 60-year-old Marc Bonnet.

Deneriaz's family was thinking strictly about their gold-plated joy.

"He's entered history!" Marie Deneriaz, 24, said of her cousin.

By JOJI SAKURAI, Associated Press Writer
Updated on Sunday, Feb 12, 2006

***

Cross Country: Russia's Dementiev wins gold in men's 30-kilometer pursuit

PRAGELATO, Italy (AP) -- Eugeni Dementiev of Russia surged from behind and overtook several skiers in the final 100 meters to win the 30-kilometer men's pursuit race Sunday in the Turin Olympics.

Frode Estil of Norway recovered from a fall at the mass start that cost him 45 seconds to take silver, and Italy's Pietro Piller Cottrer settled for bronze. Dementiev won in 1 hour, 17 minutes and .8 seconds.

Cottrer and countryman Giorgio di Centa entered into the stadium to cheers from the cowbell-clanging, beer-chugging fans who lined the course and packed the stadium area. They were looking for a 1-2 Italian sweep and their country's first gold medal, but were edged out at the finish.

World champion Vincent Vittoz of France placed sixth, while World Cup leader Tobias Angerer of Germany was 12th after leading at several points. Angerer is trying for his first individual Olympic medal in these games.

A dozen men's and women's skiers were suspended five days for elevated hemoglobin in their blood, and several missed Sunday's events. There is no proof the athletes doped; the result can be caused by dehydration or adjustment to high altitude; but it does suggest the possibility of illegal blood doping.

Most will be retested Monday and could be cleared to participate in later events at the games.

At one point early in the skate portion, Lukas Bauer of the Czech Republic eased up, looked to Cottrer because he no longer wanted to expend so much energy in the lead, and let someone else do the work for a bit.

Ivan Babikov, a Russian trying to become a Canadian citizen, stayed with the front pack the entire race -- making yet another positive impression with a 13th-place showing. In December, Babikov was competing for Canada and wearing the red Maple Leaf but still listed as a Russian athlete because he is yet to gain citizenship in Canada.

Babikov has been returning to Russia to see his wife and toddler son and surprisingly made the country's Olympic team after he thought he wouldn't be racing here at all.

The Germans were without Axel Teichmann, the 2003 15-kilometer world champion who needed surgery on his right thigh because a hair got infected.

Athletes in the pursuit event change skis halfway through the race, going from classic skiing to skating.

By JANIE McCAULEY, AP Sports Writer
Updated on Sunday, Feb 12, 2006

***

Ski Jumping: Bystoel jumps to perfection to win normal hill gold

PRAGELATO, Italy (AP) -- Lars Bystoel knew he would need two perfect jumps to win the gold medal in the normal hill ski jumping event.

Bystoel took advantage of mistakes by several other competitors to rally on the second jump Sunday, giving Norway its first Olympic ski jumping medal since the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics.

His jumps may not have been the longest of the competition, but what they lacked in length they made up for in style.

"I did two perfect jumps," said Bystoel. "I'm especially happy with my Telemark landing, I've been skiing so long it's a natural part of my movement."

After being tied for sixth in the first round with a jump of 101.5 meters, Bystoel soared 103.5 meters on his second attempt to move into first place with a total of 266.5 points.

Matti Hautamaeki of Finland took the silver, one point behind Bystoel. Another Norwegian, Roar Ljoekelsoey, won the bronze another point back.

Bystoel had the best score and one of the two longest jumps in Saturday's qualifying, but was disqualified because of a jumping suit violation. However, as one of the top 15 World Cup competitors, he already was assured of a place in the final.

"It didn't influence me in any way," Bystoel said of the disqualification. "It was only some tape on my suit, so it was no real problem."

Bystoel won his first World Cup event in January in Innsbruck, Austria, and said that win gave him a big boost heading into the Olympics.

"Innsbruck was great for me because I showed everyone that I can be the best," he said.

World Cup leader Jakub Janda of the Czech Republic had poor jumps in both rounds Sunday and finished in a tie for 13th place. Two-time World Cup champion Janne Ahonen of Finland was tied for second after the first round but jumped only 100 meters in the second heat to drop to sixth.

The Finnish veteran, who has said this will be his last Olympics, will get one last shot for an individual medal in the large hill event on Saturday.

The leader after the first round, Dmitry Vassiliev of Russia, botched his landing in the second round and fell to 10th place.

Defending Olympic champion Simon Ammann of Switzerland was eliminated after the first round. Ammann had a jump of 92.5 meters to finish in a tie for 38th place -- only the top 30 jumpers advanced to the final round.

"I made a very good jump with the bad knee I have and the bad ankle," said Ammann, who came out of nowhere to win gold in the large and normal hill events at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.

Another prominent jumper who failed to reach the final was last year's normal hill world champion Rok Benkovic of Slovenia, who had a jump of 87.5 meters.

By JIM ARMSTRONG, AP Sports Writer
Updated on Sunday, Feb 12, 2006

***

Snowboarding Halfpipe: White Wins Gold, Kass Silver in Halfpipe

BARDONECCHIA, Italy (Feb. 12) - Shaun White (Carlsbad, CA) added another title to his lengthy resume as he won gold in the Olympic Halfpipe contest Sunday in Bardonecchia. Danny Kass (Hamburg, NJ) won his second straight Olympic silver. White's gold and Kass' silver were the first medals of the Torino Olympics for the U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding.

White pretty much locked up the victory in his first of two runs in the finals as he posted a score of 46.8. Kass' 44.0 in his second run earned him the silver, while Finn Markku Koski took bronze with a score of 41.5 in his first run.

Mason Aguirre (Mammoth Lakes, CA) was just off the podium in fourth (40.3), while Andy Finch (Fresno, CA) could not regain momentum after decking out in his first run and ended up in 12th (24.7).

It was sketchy for a bit whether White would make the finals as he was seventh after the first qualification run. But, Shaun being Shaun, he lit it up in his second and final run in the qualies to take first with a score of 45.3.

His winning run in the finals consisted of six hits, all with stomped landings. He started with a big frontside air into a McTwist and then the insane spinning began with a frontside 1080, a Cab 1080, a frontside 900 and a backside 900. All in all, White spun a total of 4,680 degrees in his run.

"I didn't know if I would get the gold, I just knew I wanted it," said White, who has now won just about every major snowboard competition at least once. "This is the best year of my life, I'm so happy my whole family's here. I know I won't have this again. It's amazing, everybody's having such a good time."

White, also an accomplished skateboarder, is without a doubt the most solid freestyle rider this year. He barely missed making the '02 Olympic roster, and left no doubt this time as he swept all five Chevrolet U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix superpipe events, which served as the Olympic qualifiers. His recent double gold performance at X Games Ten (halfpipe and slopestyle) tied him with the legendary Shaun Palmer for most golds (six) in X Games history.

"It's incredible how Shaun drops in on every hit and just owns it," said U.S. halfpipe coach Bud Keene. "He rides the pipe like a vert ramp (for skateboarding) and his style makes him stand out from everyone else."

White's second run was more or less a victory lap, and everyone knew he was going to put on a show. He lofted one of the biggest frontside airs ever seen in a pipe and finished up with a couple of lip slashes - not what the judges were looking for, but stylish and old school none the less.

"Well, I just started to have some fun," said White. "Normally, I drop in and do another (move), but then I thought, 'This is the Olympics, I'll try some sprays."

Kass was the lone U.S. rider with Olympic experience as he was part of the U.S. sweep in '02 when Ross Powers won gold, Kass took silver and JJ Thomas earned bronze. The four-time U.S. Open winner, originally from the East coast but now residing at Mammoth Mountain in California, got just a 20.8 in his first finals run.

Kass' silver medal-winning run featured an air to fakie, a Cab 1080 into a frontside 1080, a Cab 720 into a frontside 720 and a switch alley-oop backside rodeo.

When asked if he could win an Olympic gold medal in 2010 (Vancouver), Kass replied, "You never know. I've been pulling things out of my rear all day, so who knows."

Aguirre, just 18 years old, also threw back-to-back 1080s in his run.

"Mason's future is wide open," said Keene. "He reacted very well to the pressure and was so close to getting on the podium."

Finch had a tough day and didn't help his already-sore ankle when he cased a landing in his first run of the finals. He was coming out of a frontside 1080 into a Cab 720 and landed square on the lip with the base of his board. He got a 9.6 for his first run and could not recover fully, ending up with a score of 24.7 in his second run.

The Bardonecchia Melezet superpipe was in much better condition today than it had been during training over the past week. Kinks were worked out of the walls and the afternoon sun softened up the snow just enough to gain an edge but not slow riders down.

Since snowboarding was officially accepted as a medal sport at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, U.S. men have won six of nine possible halfpipe medals. Powers won the bronze in '98 to kick things off.

The women take to the superpipe Monday. Riding for the U.S. is Gretchen Bleiler (Aspen, CO), Kelly Clark (Mt. Snow, VT), Elena Hight (South Lake Tahoe, CA) and Hannah Teter (Belmont, VT). Clark won gold at the '02 Olympics, the first medal for the U.S. in those Games.

Scott Flanders
Sunday, Feb 12, 2006

XX OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES
Bardonecchia, ITA - Feb. 12, 2006
Men's Halfpipe

1. Shaun White, Carlsbad, Calif., 46.8
2. Danny Kass, Hamburg, N.J., 44.0
3. Markku Koski, Finland, 41.5
4. Mason Aguirre, Mammoth Lakes, Calif., 40.3
5. Antti Autti, Finland, 39.1
--
12. Andy Finch, Fresno, Calif., 24.7

***

Nordic Combined: Hettich takes surprise gold

PRAGELATO, Italy (Reuters) - Georg Hettich of Germany staged a major upset on the opening day of the Winter Olympics on Saturday when he won the gold medal in the Nordic combined individual Gundersen.

The 27-year-old had never won a medal at an Olympics or a world championships and had not even won a World Cup event.

But he led after the ski jumping part of the competition and clung on to his lead in the cross-country skiing despite a fierce assault toward the end from Austria's Felix Gottwald.

"On the last uphill, after about 13 or 14 kilometres, I looked back and saw only Felix so I realised I could win a medal," Hettich said.

"But it was only as we came to the finish line that I realised I could win gold."

"At the medal ceremony I had a tear in my eye."

Gottwald powered from 11th to second in the cross-country but did not have the legs to pass Hettich and had to settle for silver to add to the three bronze medals he won in Salt Lake City in 2002.

"I knew I had to close the gap on the leaders but I closed it really late, so when Georg made his move at the end it was hard for me to follow him," said Gottwald, an Austrian Alpine soldier. "My legs were really hurting."

Norway's Magnus Moan, an emerging force in the discipline, won a thrilling tussle with team mate Petter Tande for the bronze medal.

After 15 km of racing, the two athletes hurled themselves across the line in a photo finish, with Moan winning by a tenth of a second.

MANNINEN FAILS AGAIN

The biggest surprise of the event was the performance of Finn Hannu Manninen, the most successful athlete in Nordic combined World Cup history and overwhelming favorite.

He was solid in the ski jumping and started his favorite part of the competition, the cross-country, in eighth place. He had been expected to mount a serious challenge for gold but slumped to ninth.

"My tactic was to lie behind Hannu and let him do the hard work ... but Hannu didn't have the greatest day today," Moan said.

"I'm really happy with my bronze medal. It's my first Olympics and I'm sure it won't be my last."

Despite his prolific success on the World Cup circuit, Manninen has failed to win an individual medal at an Olympic Games in four editions of the Games, dating back to Lillehammer in 1994 when he made his debut aged 15.

Astonishingly, he has also failed to make the podium in the individual events at five world championships.

"I couldn't ski normally today. The course was just too sticky for me," said the tall blond Finn.

Manninen's long-time rival Ronny Ackermann of Germany was also disappointing, finishing 18th after faltering in the jumps.

Both have a chance to redeem themselves in the team event on Wednesday and the large hill individual event on February 21.

In Nordic combined, the jumping scores are converted into time penalties using a system devised by Norway's former Nordic combined world champion Gunnar Gundersen.

The competitor who finishes first in the ski jumping starts first in the cross-country, and the rest of the athletes set off in pursuit at intervals based on their performances in the jumps.

(Additional reporting by Simon Evans)

By Gideon Long
Saturday, Feb 11, 2006

***

Freestyle Skiing: Heil Wins Moguls, Bahrke 10th

SAUZE d'OULX, Italy (Feb. 11) - Canadian Jennifer Heil out-skied defending Olympic gold medalist Kari Traa of Norway to win gold in the Olympic Women's Moguls finals Saturday night in Sauze d'Oulx. The top U.S. finisher was Shannon Bahrke (Tahoe City, CA) in 10th with Jillian Vogtli (Ellicotville, NY) just behind in 11th.

Heil ripped up the bumps on her run and took gold with a score of 26.50. Traa followed with a 25.65 and Sandra Laoura of France was third with a score of 25.37.

Bahrke's run featured a D spin off the first jump and a back flip cross with a stomped landing on the second.

"To make this team of four is what dreams are made of," said Bahrke. "I looked back (from the start) and saw the full moon. I looked down and saw my family, and just went for it. It's what I had to do."

Bahrke won a silver medal in moguls at the 2002 Olympics in Utah.

"I am very excited to be here, today it just wasn't my day," said Bahrke. "But, 2002 was my day."

Vogtli started out with a backflip cross and then threw a solid corked 720 on her second jump.

"I got to do my off-axis 720," said Vogtli. "I didn't want to stick to my same tricks."

Roark was fourth in the afternoon qualifiers. Bahrke was 18th, Vogtli was 20th and Hannah Kearney (Norwich, VT) was 22nd. The top-20 skiers from qualifications advanced to the finals under the lights.

Roark did a backflip on the first kicker and a heli spread on the second.

"I really went for it, but I didn't have it," said Roark, competing in her first Olympics. "I was long with the landing path."

This is the first Olympics in which inverted aerials (skier's feet above their head) have been allowed. Backflips are the norm now, but a few mogul skiers are actually throwing front flips as well.

The men's moguls event takes place Wed., Feb. 15. Competing for the U.S. will be Jeremy Bloom (Loveland, CO), Travis Cabral (South Lake Tahoe, CA), Toby Dawson (Vail, CO), Travis Mayer (Steamboat Springs, CO).

Scott Flanders
Saturday, Feb 11, 2006

XX OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES
Sauze d'Oulx, ITA - Feb. 11, 2006
Women's Moguls Finals

1. Jennifer Heil, Canada, 26.50
2. Kari Traa, Norway, 25.65
3. Sandra Laoura, France, 25.37
4. Sara Kjellin, Sweden, 24.74
5. Aiko Uemura, Japan, 24.01
--
10. Shannon Bahrke, Tahoe City, Calif., 22.82
11. Jillian Vogtli, Ellicotville, N.Y., 22.72
18. Michelle Roark, Winter Park, Colo., 20.04
--
Did not qualify for finals:
Hannah Kearney, Norwich, Vt. (22nd in qualifications, 20.80)