15/03/2004 09:51 World Cup medals table SESTRIERE, Italy (AP) _ Medals table for the 2003-2004 World Cup Alpine Skiing season.
Men=
Overall=
After 39 races=
1. Hermann Maier, Austria, 1,265 points.
2. Stephan Eberharter, Austria, 1,223.
3. Benjamin Raich, Austria, 1,139.
Downhill=
After 12 races=
1. Stephan Eberharter, Austria, 831.
2. Daron Rahlves, United States, 627.
3. Hermann Maier, Austria, 537.
Super-G=
After seven races=
1. Hermann Maier, Austria, 580.
2. Daron Rahlves, United States, 340.
3. Stephan Eberharter, Austria, 312.
Giant Slalom=
After seven races=
1. Bode Miller, United States, 410.
2. Kalle Palander, Finland, 349.
3. Massimiliano Blardone, Italy, 266.
Slalom=
After 11 races=
1. Rainer Schoenfelder, Austria, 630.
2. Kalle Palander, Finland, 595.
3. Benjamin Raich, Austria, 468.
Men's Nation's Cup=
After 39 men's races=
1. Austria, 10,631.
2. Italy, 3,031
3. Switzerland, 2,660.
Women=
Overall=
After 35 races=
1. Anja Paerson, Sweden, 1,561.
2. Renate Goetschl, Austria, 1,344.
3. Maria Riesch, Germany, 977.
Downhill=
After nine races=
1. Renate Goetschl, Austria, 680.
2. Hilde Gerg, Germany, 546.
3. Carole Montillet, France, 492.
Super-G=
After eight races=
1. Renate Goetschl, Austria, 467
2. Carole Montillet, France, 402
3. Michaela Dorfmeister, Austria, 391
Giant Slalom=
After eight races=
1. Anja Paerson, Sweden, 630
2. Denise Karbon, Italy, 343
3. Maria-Jose Rienda-Contreras, Spain, 339
Slalom=
After 10 races=
1. Anja Paerson, Sweden, 770.
2. Marlies Schild, Austria, 447.
3. Monika Bergmann-Schmuderer, Germany, 437.
Women's Nation's Cup=
After 35 women's races=
1. Austria, 6,396.
2. Germany, 3,730
3. United States, 2,357.
Overall Nations Cup (men and women)=
After 74 races=
1. Austria, 17,027.
2. Italy, 4,961.
3. United States, 4,897.
 
 

15/03/2004 09:32
 
Maier targeting 2006 Olympics
SESTRIERE, Italy (AP) _ Newly-crowned overall champion Hermann Maier, who received the World Cup's largest crystal globe Sunday, said he was now targeting the 2006 Olympics in Turin.
 
 
15/03/2004 09:25
   
Maier uses sheer will to win overall. Paerson simply dominates
 
SESTRIERE, Italy (AP) _ Hermann Maier needed sheer will and determination to win the overall World Cup title. Anja Paerson simply dominated in the races where she performs best. Maier _ racing in his first full season since nearly losing his right leg in a motorcycle accident _ collected his fourth overall title. The 22-year-old Paerson captured her first. "It is amazing," said Maier, who also clinched the World Cup super-G title. "At the start of the season my goal was to finish the season. To race as many races as possible." Bode Miller entered the season announcing he was going after the overall title and finished fourth. He still won his first crystal World Cup globe, however, by taking the giant slalom trophy. No American man had won any discipline since Phil Mahre won the GS title in 1983. Austria's Stephan Eberharter, who won the previous two overall titles when Maier was recovering from his accident, finished runner-up in the overall but took the downhill title for the third straight season. It could end up being Eberharter's last campaign. The 34-year-old Austrian has been hinting at retirement all season and Thursday purportedly gave American Daron Rahlves the go-ahead to fill his shoes next year. "I have always skied with my heart and for pleasure and I've been there 100 percent," the 34-year-old Eberharter said. "If I feel over the summer I should go on with my career, then I will. If not I will quit. "The chances are 50-50," added Eberharter, still hedging. Adding to Austria's glory was Rainer Schoenfelder's slalom title. But the Austrian whose story captivated fans all season long was Maier. The "Herminator" was not the same incredibly dominant skier he was before the accident, but his prowess and courage in the speed events propelled him to his fourth overall victory. He won two downhill races and captured three super-Gs, finishing on the podium in all seven races to secure the discipline globe as well. "I am not 100 percent the Hermann Maier who was skiing in the past," Maier said. "I am no longer winning with a 1.5-second reserve. "But I can tell you 100 percent of what I am now was used to win this overall title." Maier, who won three overall titles before his August 2001 crash, took his latest title with a slim 42-point margin ahead of Eberharter. In the season immediately before his accident, Maier won with a massive 743-point advantage over Eberharter. "I think everybody's quite surprised the way he's skied with his leg," Paerson said. "I don't think I could ever do that. He's a strong man to fight back and do so well." Paerson's results _ five slalom wins and six giant slalom victories _ were far stronger than anyone else's, and gave her a 217-point margin ahead of her only real challenger for the overall _ Austria's Renate Goetschl. "I was consistent all season, it was unbelievable," said Paerson, the first Swede since Pernilla Wiberg in 1997 to clinch the women's overall title. "To beat Goetschl, I couldn't believe that going into the season. It's the biggest achievement in my career so far." Goetschl, the overall winner in 2001, took the downhill and super-G globes. Paerson won her first slalom race in 1998 and only began to win in GS last season. This season, she also showed some potential for the future in super-G _ finishing sixth in the final event here on Thursday _ as well as downhill. At St. Moritz, in her first World Cup downhill, Paerson was fastest in training and was leading the race heading into the final gate when she veered off course. "Anja had a super season," said Goetschl, the 1999-2000 overall winner. "She proved that she was super consistent. Her development was very impressive. "She was consistently making results this season and she's getting better and better in the speed disciplines. She's a benchmark for the future. I hope I will be able to break that benchmark." Paerson clinched the slalom and giant slaloms long before arriving in Sestriere. "The slalom this year I think I benefited from a little luck with some of the other girls not doing so well," she said. "In giant slalom I just felt very comfortable." Croatian technical specialist Janica Kostelic, the previous overall winner, missed the entire season due to a thyroid problem and knee troubles. If Kostelic returns to form next season, there is the potential for a four-way race for the women's overall between Paerson, Goetschl, Kostelic and rising German all-arounder Maria Riesch, who finished third overall this year. Kostelic would also likely challenge Paerson for the gate globes. There were four men vying for the overall title heading into this week's World Cup Finals: Maier, Miller, Eberharter and Raich _ and there could be even more next season. Rahlves finished fifth this year and has stated he will have a more all-around focus next season. Austrian speedster Michael Walchhofer, seventh in the general rankings, is bound to be a threat at some point and Norwegian veteran all-arounders Lasse Kjus and Kjetil Andre Aamodt are expected back from injury. 
 

 
14/03/2004 13:32
 
Paerson wraps up splendid
SESTRIERE, Italy (AP) _ Paerson also wrapped her overall title on Saturday and had clinched the slalom and giant slalom globes before Sunday's finale. For her fourth consecutive giant slalom win and fifth overall this season, the Swede covered the Sises course in a two-run combined time of 2 minutes, 13.70 seconds Paerson won with a huge 1.11-second gap ahead of runner-up Denise Karbon of Italy. Austria's Alexandra Meissnitzer came in third, 1.27 seconds behind.
 
 
14/03/2004 12:10
   
Schoenfelder wins slalom title
 
SESTRIERE, Italy (AP) _ Austria's Rainer Schoenfelder won the World Cup slalom title Sunday with a second place finish in the final race of the season. Schoenfelder finished just 0.05 seconds behind race winner Kalle Palander's time of 1 minute, 49.67 seconds, but gained enough points to prevent Palander from overtaking him in the slalom standings. Schoenfelder won the small crystal globe with a slim 35-point margin ahead of Palander. Another Austrian, Manfred Pranger, finished third in Sunday's race, 0.15 seconds behind. Bode Miller of the United States ended his season with a seventh-place finish and Austria's Benjamin Raich came in 10th. Raich therefore clinched third place in the final overall standings, beating fourth-place Miller by five points. The top four in the overall standings read: Hermann Maier (1,265), Stephan Eberharter (1,223), Raich (1,139), Miller (1,134). Maier wrapped up the overall title on Saturday. On the women's side, Denise Karbon excited home fans by producing the fastest run in the opening leg of the final giant slalom of the season, ahead of World Cup discipline champion Anja Paerson.
 
 
 
14/03/2004 10:58
 
Karbon fastest in GS
 
SESTRIERE, Italy (AP) _ Karbon, the winner of a giant slalom in Alta Badia inDecember, tore down the Sises course in 1 minute, 5.93 seconds, a strong 0.56 ahead of Paerson, the World Cup overall, slalom and giant slalom champion.Paerson clinched her first career overall title theprevious day. Norway's Andrine Flemmen crossed third in 1:06.61. 
 
 
14/03/2004 10:09
   
Pranger leads slalom
SESTRIERE, Italy (AP) _ Austria's Manfred Pranger posted the fastest time in the opening leg of the men's slalom at the World Cup Finals on Sunday while Finland's Kalle Palander put himself in a strong position to take the season-ending discipline lead from Austrian rival Rainer Schoenfelder.
 
 
14/03/2004 08:03
 
Maier, Paerson win overall World Cup titles. Miller takes giant slalom globe
SESTRIERE, Italy (AP) _ He relearned how to walk. Then he relearned how to ski. He endured almost unbearable pain when he crammed his swollen, distorted leg into a ski boot. It was clear nothing was going to stop Hermann Maier from returning to World Cup skiing competition.
 
 
13/03/2004 17:00
   
Maier virtually clinches men's Cup
 
SESTRIERE, Italy (AP) _ The men's giant slalom was canceled midway through the second run, eliminating Miller and Benjamin Raich from the overall race. Raich, an Austrian, led after the first leg of the giant slalom, in which Miller crashed, although those results were later annulled. With only Sunday's slalom race remaining, the men's race is now down to either leader Maier (1,265 points) or fellow Austrian Stephan Eberharter (1,223). Wins are worth 100 points. Neither Maier nor Eberharter usually race the slalom and Eberharter has said this week that he was not planning to enter the race. So barring a last-minute change from Eberharter, the men's race was decided. Maier won two overall titles before nearly losing his leg in a motorcycle accident in August, 2001. Eberharter won the last two seasons when Maier was mostly absent, recovering from his accident. 
 
 
13/03/2004 14:50
 
Men's giant slalom race cancelled
The second leg of the men's giant slalom race at the World Cup Finals in Sestriere, Italy has been cancelled due to bad weather. Organizers are currently deciding whether to re-schedule the second leg or not.
 
 
13/03/2004 12:30
   
Paerson wins overall World Cup title
 
SESTRIERE, Italy (AP) _ Anja Paerson of Sweden secured her first overall World Cup title Saturday with a sixth-place finish in the final slalom race of the season. Paerson finished 0.68 seconds behind Austrian winner Marlies Schild's time of 1 minute, 41.82 seconds, but far in front of her only challenger for the overall title _ Austria's Renate Goetschl. Goetschl, a speed specialist, finished 24th out of 24 skiers, with a huge 6.10-second gap behind Schild. In the overall standings, Paerson now has an insurmountable 117-point lead ahead of Goetschl with only one race remaining _ Sunday's slalom _ and wins worth 100 points. Paerson has 1,461 points overall to Goetschl's 1,344. The 22-year-old Paerson had already wrapped up the slalom and giant slalom season titles. "Anja had a super season," said Goetschl, the 1999-2000 overall winner. "She proved that she was super consistent. Her development was very impressive. "She was consistently making results this season and she's getting better and better in the speed disciplines. She's a benchmark for the future. I hope I will be able to break that benchmark." Sarah Schleper of the United States finished second in the slalom, 0.21 seconds back, and Finland's Tanja Poutiainen was third, 0.29 seconds out. 
 
 
13/03/2004 12:06
 
Paerons wins overall World Cup title; Miller eliminated from men's overall race
SESTRIERE, Italy (AP) _ Anja Paerson of Sweden secured her first overall World Cup title Saturday with a sixth-place finish in the final slalom race of the season. Paerson finished 0.68 seconds behind Austrian winner Marlies Schild's time of 1 minute, 41.82 seconds.  
 
 
13/03/2004 10:34
   
Miller blows chances for overall title
SESTRIERE, Italy (AP) _ Bode Miller's chances for the World Cup overall title came to an abrupt end Saturday, when the American blew out in the opening leg of the season's final giant slalom. The crash also jeopardized Miller's chance at the World Cup giant slalom title.
 
 
13/03/2004 09:37
 
Schild leads first leg of slalom, Paerson trails
SESTRIERE, Italy (AP) _ Austria's Marlies Schild posted the fastest time in the opening leg of the women's World Cup Final slalom Saturday, while overall leader Anja Paerson of Sweden delivered a surprisingly sluggish run to trail back in 16th. Schild twisted her way down the fog-shrouded G.A.
 
 
13/03/2004 08:16
   
Men chasing three titles, women one, as finals head into gate events
SESTRIERE, Italy (AP) _ Hermann Maier and Anja Paerson head into the season's last two races as favorites to land the World Cup's ultimate prize. But if 22-year-old Swede Paerson is almost guaranteed to claim her first overall title, the men's dramatic four-way battle for the largest of globes.
 
 
13/03/2004 00:17
 
No more room for error for Bode Miller
SESTRIERE, Italy (AP) _ It's pretty simple for Bode Miller: he's got two races left and he's got to win then both. The American, known equally for his stunning successes and bewildering blowouts, trails World Cup overall leader Hermann Maier by 167 points in the standings with just a giant slalom.  
 
 
12/03/2004 09:52
   
Goetschl: the overshadowed comeback story
SESTRIERE, Italy (AP) _ It may not be as sensational as Hermann Maier's triumphant comeback story, but Renate Goetschl's climb back from injury has been every bit as successful. In her second season back since mangling her left leg in an ugly racing accident. 
 
 
12/03/2004 01:53
 
Maier pulls out vintage "Herminator" performance
SESTRIERE, Italy (AP) _ The motorcycle accident that nearly cost Hermann Maier his right leg proved that the Austrian skiing machine was human. On Thursday, Maier showed he can still revert to his old "Herminator" form. He won the final super-G of the season, increased his lead atop the overal standing. 
 
 

General Standing
 
World cup Leader

Maier Hermann
07.12.1972 (Flachau)
Ski: Atomic
 
  Maier Hermann  1265
  Eberharter Stefan  1223
  Raich Benjamin  1139
  Miller Bode  1134
  Rahlves Daron  1006
  Palander Kalle  946
  Walchhofer Michael  827
  Kjus Lasse  824
  Knauss Hans  792
  Schonfelder Rainer  725
  
World cup Leader

Paerson Anja
25.04.1981 (Tarnaby)
Ski: Salomon

  Paerson Anja  1561
  Gotschl Renate  1344
  Riesch Maria  977
  Gerg Hilde  962
  Montillet Carole  959
  Dorfmeister Michaela  938
  Ertl Martina  770
  Meissnitzer Alexandra  734
  Poutiainen Tanja  669
  Goergl Elisabeth  660