TORINO: Alpine: Aamodt will attempt to start men's combined

TORINO: Alpine: Aamodt will attempt to start men’s combined{mosimage}SESTRIERE, Italy – Kjetil Andre Aamodt of Norway is on the start list for the Olympic men’s combined race, which takes place Tuesday. Aamodt, the defending gold medalist in the event, injured his knee in Sunday’s downhill but is going to put on his equipment Tuesday morning.

‘He’s trying’ said Marius Arnesen, head coach of the Norwegian men’s team. ‘I don’t know if he will race, but he tries.’

Aamodt, 35, has won seven Olympic medals since 1992, and is considered one of the toughest men in the sport. ‘He really wants to race’ said Arnesen. ‘He’s crazy.’

Aamodt feels pain in his left knee, and Arnesen said the team believes he injured his ‘outside band’ (World Cup-speak for lateral collateral ligament) and possibly the meniscus. He spent the day with team physios in the athletes’ village, and will take a warm-up run Tuesday morning and then consider whether he is ready to don bib No. 33.

In Tuesday’s race, Americans Ted Ligety starts 18th, Bode Miller 32nd, Steve Nyman 34th and Scott Macartney 35th.

Miller, Nyman and Macartney trained slalom on Monday, said coach Mike Morin.

The Olympic combined will consist of one run of downhill at noon, followed by two slalom runs, at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

The Sestriere slalom hill sits in plain sight of town, and is injected with so much water that the upper turns have been glistening under the artificial lights all week.