10/03/2004 13:30 Goetschl wins downhill race and downhill title 
 
SESTRIERE, Italy (AP) _ Renate Goetschl won the final downhill race of the season Wednesday and clinched her third World Cup downhill title. The Austrian also moved to within 73 points of overall World Cup leader Anja Paerson of Sweden, who did not compete in the downhill. Goetschl covered the 2.965-kilometer-long (1.83-mile-long) Kandahar course in 1 minute, 45.01 seconds. Switzerland's Sylviane Berthod finished second, 0.35 seconds behind and local favorite Isolde Kostner of Italy came in third, 0.52 seconds back. Goetschl's closest challenger for the downhill title, Germany's Hilde Gerg, finished ninth. Goetschl completed her run before Gerg and when she saw her rival's result, she began jumping up and down with excitement in the finish area. Last season, Goetschl finished second to fellow Austrian Michaela Dorfmeister in the downhill title race. She won the small crystal globe in 1997 and 1999. It was Goetschl's third downhill victory of the season. She also won in St. Moritz in December and Veysonnaz in January. Goetschl has three more races in the World Cup Finals here this week to catch Paerson: super-G, slalom and giant slalom. The super-G is scheduled for Thursday, while the slalom and giant slalom are slated for Saturday and Sunday. Paerson has already clinched the slalom and giant slalom titles and will be a heavy favorite in each of those races, so Goetschl needs another good result Thursday in super-G to give herself a decent chance of winning the overall for the second time. Goetschl won the overall in 1999-2000. Paerson has never won before. Two skiers did not complete their runs Tuesday. Lindsey Kildow of the United States was the last skier to hit the course after posting the fastest training time Monday. She was also fastest through the first checkpoint in the race, but then lost control going over a bump and slid down the course on her back and crashed through a gate before coming to a complete stop. She did not appear to suffer any serious injuries. Germany's Isabelle Huber landed awkwardly on a jump and pulled up midway through her run. Daron Rahlves of the United States won the men's downhill Wednesday and Stephan Eberharter claimed the downhill title. The World Cup Finals in and around Sestriere include the last men's and women's races in each Alpine discipline, plus cross country, snowboarding and freestyle. They are a major rehearsal for the Turin 2006 Olympics. 

 
10/03/2004 10:50 
Montillet may end skiing career
PARIS (AP) _ Olympic downhill champion Carole Montillet is considering retirement. "I need a change," the 2002 Salt Lake City gold medalist told Wednesday's edition of French daily Le Parisien. Asked if she will retire, the 30-year-old French skier said: "Yes, maybe..." 
 
10/03/2004 10:48
Rahlves wins final downhill, Eberharter only overall contender to score points 
 
SESTRIERE, Italy (AP) _ American Daron Rahlves won the men's World Cup Final downhill Wednesday, while Stephan Eberharter was the only contender for the overall title to score points on the day. Rahlves charged down the 3.299-kilometer-long (2.04-mile-long) Kandahar course in 1 minute, 51.88 seconds, securing second place in the season's final discipline standings. Austrian Fritz Strobl was runnerup in 1:51.98. Eberharter, who had already clinched the World Cup downhill title, finished third in 1:52.01, to jump into second place in the overall standings behind leader Hermann Maier. Maier finished 18th, struggling on a course he was unfamiliar with, scoring no points as only the top-15 score points at the World Cup Finals. American Bode Miller was 22nd, while Benjamin Raich was 24th, neither scoring points. Despite his poor showing, Maier remained atop the overall rankings with 1,165 points. Eberharter's 60 points for third place boosted him into second position with 1,143, while Miller dropped to third on 1,098. Raich stayed in fourth with 1,063. Miller dropped from second into third place in the overall standings. Eberharter arrived at the Italian resort out of reach in the downhill standings. He ended the season with 831 points. Rahlves, who scored 100 points with his victory, vaulted into second place on 627. Maier slipped to third on 537. Neither Maier nor Miller had ever raced on the downhill course, which had not been used since the 1997 world championships. Maier had been particularly worried about the fact during training Tuesday, saying those who had already raced on the Kandahar had a distinct advantage over him. The final women's downhill was scheduled for later Wednesday. The events in and around Sestriere also include cross country, snowboarding and freestyle and serve as a major rehearsal for the Turin 2006 Olympics. 
  
 
10/03/2004 08:14 
Rahlves ready to finish off his best season
SESTRIERE, Italy (AP) _ Daron Rahlves is content with the way his season is wrapping up, including a possible career-best fifth place finish in the overall World Cup standings. Before he heads home and into his offseason surfing and motorcross mode, however, the speed specialist from Californi ...  
 
 
10/03/2004 02:16
Bode Miller _ title in reach _ just doesn't care
SESTRIERE, Italy (AP) _ He has a chance to inscribe his name alongside Alpine skiing's greatest stars. He has the possibility to achieve every skier's dream _ the overall World Cup title. He could rewrite American history.  
 
10/03/2004 00:15 
Maier worried entering downhill
SESTRIERE, Italy (AP) _ Hermann Maier is worried. He has never raced on the World Cup Finals downhill course and he knows American Bode Miller is nipping at his tail in the overall standings. Maier struggled to a 16th-place finish in downhill training Tuesday for the first event of the Finals.
 
 
09/03/2004 16:17 
 Strobl leads downhill training; Maier struggles
SESTRIERE, Italy (AP) _ Fritz Strobl posted the fastest time in a training session Tuesday for the season's final downhill, while Austrian teammate and overall World Cup leader Hermann Maier struggled to a 16th-place finish. Maier's overall lead ahead of American Bode Miller is 67 points.
 
 
09/03/2004 09:24 
Paerson skipping final downhill
SESTRIERE, Italy (AP) _ Overall World Cup leader Anja Paerson skipped Monday's training session for the season's final downhill and will therefore not take part in Wednesday's race. Paerson is not injured. Organizers said the Swede simply decided she did not want to race in the downhill.
 
 
09/03/2004 09:20
World Cup finals results
Results Monday from the alpine skiing World Cup finals:
1 ( 13) KILDOW L. USA 1:45.73
2 ( 11) KOSTNER ISOLDE ITA 1:46.16 + 0.43
2 ( 8) STYGER NADIA SUI 1:46.16 + 0.43
4 ( 3) KLEON BARBARA ITA 1:46.91 + 1.18
5 ( 6) CECCARELLI D. ITA 1:46.93 + 1.20 
 
 
08/03/2004 08:55 
Italian venue bids for hosting 2013 Worlds of alpine skiing
TRENTO, Italy (AP) _ Trendy Italian winter resort Cortina d'Ampezzo announced on Sunday it will bid to host the world alpine skiing championships in 2013. City officials formally asked the Italian Ski Federation to nominate Cortina to the International Ski Federation.
 
 
07/03/2004 15:32
Meissnitzer and Suchet lead women's downhill training
SESTRIERE, Italy (AP) _ Austria's Alexandra Meissnitzer and Melanie Suchet of France tied for the best time in Sunday's first training session for the final World Cup downhill of the season. Meissnitzer and Suchet each posted a time of 1 minute, 48.63 seconds.
  

***

Next Races

11.03.2004 Sestriere (ITA) SG
11.03.2004 Sestriere (ITA) SG
13.03.2004 Sestriere (ITA) GS
13.03.2004 Sestriere (ITA) SL
14.03.2004 Sestriere (ITA) SL 
 
General Standing
 
World cup Leader

Maier Hermann
07.12.1972 (Flachau)
Ski: Atomic

  Maier Hermann  1165
  Eberharter Stefan  1143
  Miller Bode  1098
  Raich Benjamin  1063
  Rahlves Daron  984
  Palander Kalle  846
  Kjus Lasse  824
  Walchhofer Michael  795
  Knauss Hans  756
  Schifferer Andreas  672
  
World cup Leader

Paerson Anja
25.04.1981 (Tarnaby)
Ski: Salomon

 
  Paerson Anja  1381
  Gotschl Renate  1308
  Montillet Carole  959
  Gerg Hilde  899
  Dorfmeister Michaela  852
  Riesch Maria  847
  Ertl Martina  746
  Meissnitzer Alexandra  645
  Poutiainen Tanja  577
  Goergl Elisabeth  568