TORINO: Alpine: Dorfmeister nabs DH gold; Mancuso, Kildow top 10

By Published On: February 15th, 2006Comments Off on TORINO: Alpine: Dorfmeister nabs DH gold; Mancuso, Kildow top 10

TORINO: Alpine: Dorfmeister nabs DH gold; Mancuso, Kildow top 10SAN SICARIO, Italy – Austrian veteran Michaela Dorfmeister, poised to retire after a brilliant career, proved experience counts on the biggest stage of women’s alpine ski racing, winning the Olympic downhill in tricky course conditions Wednesday. Click here to see photos.

“It’s like a dream,” Dorfmeister said. “I didn’t sleep for two nights because I was under so much pressure. But this morning I felt very relaxed and when I took the lift to the start I said, ‘Today I’ll do it.’ “

Dorfmeister, who already has clinched the World Cup downhill title this season, dominated from the start, staying in a tuck over the roughest parts and gliding smoothly over the jumps.

Switzerland’s Martina Schild won silver and Sweden’s Anja Paerson bronze. While Croatia’s Janica Kostelic did not start, American Lindsey Kildow did run despite a bruising training crash, finishing tied for eighth, while Julia Mancuso was seventh.

It was the first Olympic gold for Dorfmeister, 32, who tuned up for the Games with back-to-back super G and downhill World Cup wins at St. Moritz. In her third Olympic Games, it was her second medal. Dorfmeister was the super G silver medalist at the 1998 Nagano Games.

Despite Austria’s world dominance in ski racing, Dorfmeister was the first from that country to win the Olympic women’s downhill since Annemarie Moser-Proell won at the 1980 Lake Placid Games.

It was the first Olympic medal, and first podium at Olympics or the World Cup level, for Schild. The 24-year-old from Grindelwald was a career-best fifth at the St. Moritz downhill on Jan. 21. She was sixth at St. Moritz in a December 2003 downhill.

Dorfmeister completed the run in 1 minute, 56.49 seconds, besting Schild by .37 and Paerson by .64. Kildow and Mancuso ran late in the pack on the deteriorating course and were more than a second off the pace. But considering her crash in training, the performance was a heroic one for Kildow.

Paerson continues her march toward ski racing legendary status. In just her second Winter Games, she’s now nabbed three medals and could secure more before the world departs Torino. Paerson was second in giant slalom and third in slalom at the Salt Lake Games. She’s had plenty of success at this venue, with a pair of World Cup wins (downhill, super G, plus a second in combined) on the San Sicario track in February 2005.

“I couldn’t get my speed up in the first bit,” Paerson said. “I already felt like I had lost the gold medal, but I tried my best. I’m skiing really well in downhill today, and I knew the mistake I made. I skied perfect in some parts today and I’m really very happy.”

Schild, granddaughter of 1948 Olympic downhill gold medalist Hedy Schlunegger, was fastest in Monday’s downhill training but her podium was a surprise. “I feel great,” she said, “but I’m not exactly sure how I feel. I had two good trainings and I tried to do the same again and I did well. That was the best and nicest run I’ve ever made and I’m happy with second.”

“It was kind of flat today for me,” Mancuso told reporters, “but it was a lot of fun, especially at the top of the course where there are a lot of jumps. My time was slower even though I felt kind of confident.” Mancuso’s time of 1:57.71 was good for seventh.

Kildow made a quick return from injury to compete in the downhill. She was injured in downhill training Monday and flown to the hospital in Torino. Kildow posted a 1:57.78 to tie her with Austrian Alexandra Meissnitzer. “I thought I had it in me,” Kildow said. “I was pretty nervous at the start. I was OK in the warm-up, but I have a lot of pain in my back. My left butt cheek doesn’t seem to work.”

Kildow said she probably would skip Friday’s combined, which requires a downhill and two slaloms in one day, but expected to be back for the super G on Sunday.

“I wanted to get a medal,” she said, “but I still have more chances — so don’t give up on me yet.”

American Kirsten Clark finished in 21st position, 2.58 seconds behind the leader. “I thought I skied well,” Clark told reporters. “I was attacking and anticipating all of the terrain, so I’m not sure what happened.” This is her third Olympics. Her career best is a 12th in downhill at the 2002 Games.

Stacey Cook, competing in her first Olympics, was 19th in 1:58.70.

___

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Women’s Olympic downhill
San Sicario, Italy
Feb. 15, 2006

1. Michaela Dorfmeister, AUT 1:56.49
2. Martina Schild, SUI 1:56.86
3. Anja Paerson, SWE 1:57.13
4. Renate Goetschl, AUT 1:57.20
5. Nadia Styger, SUI 1:57.62
6. Petra Haltmayr, GER 1:57.69
7. Julia Mancuso, USA 1:57.71
8. Lindsey Kildow, USA 1:57.78
8. Alexandra Meissnitzer, AUT 1:57.78
10. Nadia Fanchini, ITA 1:57.84
11. Chimene Alcott, GBR 1:57.85
12. Fraenzi Aufdenblatten, SUI 1:57.96
13. Lucia Recchia, ITA 1:58.30
14. Sylvaine Berthod, SUI 1:58.36
15. Marie Marchand-Avier, FRA 1:58.39
16. Ingrid Jacquemod, FRA 1:58.46
17. Janette Hargin, SWE 1:58.53
18. Jessica Lindell-Vikarby, SWE 1:58.56
19. Stacey Cook, USA 1:58.70
20. Emily Brydon, CAN 1:58.97
21. Kirsten Clark, USA 1:59.07
22. Nike Bent, SWE 1:59.17
23. Dagny Kristjansdottir, ISL 1:59.43
24. Kelly Vanderbeek, CAN 1:59.63
25. Petra Robnik, SLO 1:59.66
26. Shona Rubens, CAN 2:00.30
27. Sherry Lawrence, CAN 2:00.47
28. Carole Montillet-Carles, FRA 2:01.03
29. Elena Fanchini, ITA 2:01.06
30. Carolina Ruiz Castillo, SPA 2:01.09
31. Alexandra Coletti, MON 2:01.34
32. Daniela Merighetti, ITA 2:01.76
33. Olesja Alieva, RUS 2:02.06
34. Chirine Njeim, LIB 2:02.86
35. Sona Maculova, SVK 2:03.63
36. Jana Gantnerova, SVK 2:04.60
37. Eva Huckova, SVK 2:05.32
38. Andrea Casasnovas, SPA 2:06.73
39. Miriam Vazquez, ARG 2:07.42
40. Christelle Laura Douibi, ALG 2:09.68
Other skiers:
DNS:
Janica Kostelic, CRO.
DNF: Tina Weirather, LIE; Urska Rabic, SLO; Elisabeth Goergl, AUT; Leyre Morlans, SPA

THE SCOOP

By Hank McKee

Equipment

Skier, skis/boots/bindings
1. Dorfmeister, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
2. Schild, Volkl/Lange/Marker
3. Paerson, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon
4. Goetschl, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon
5. Styger, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon
6. Haltmayr, Fischer/Lange/Atomic
7. Mancuso, Rossignol/Lange/Rossignol
8. Kildow, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
8. Meissnitzer, Volkl/Fischer/Marker
10. Fanchini, Dynastar/Lange/Look

Women’s DH, San Sicario, Feb. 15, 2006
It is the fourth win of the season for Michaela Dorfmeister. … Her second in DH. … It is her second career Olympic medal, her first gold, her first in DH. … She won a silver medal in SG at Nagano in 1998. … She has also previously won four World Championships medals, two of them gold and one of those gold in DH (St. Anton 2001). … It is the 26th Olympic gold medal for Austria. … The 11th in DH. … She is the first Austrian woman to win Olympic gold in DH since Annemarie Moser-Proell won at Lake Placid in 1980.

It is the best career placing in a world level event for Martina Schild. … Her previous best a fifth in a World Cup DH at St. Moritz earlier this season (Jan. 21). … It is the 52nd Olympic medal for Switzerland. … the second of these Games (Bruno Kernen got bronze in men’s DH), doubling the output from SLC.

It is the 11th podium placing of the season for Anja Paerson. … It is her third career Olympic medal, the first of these Games. … It is the 11t
h Olympic alpine medal for Sweden, the first of these Games. … It is the second Olympic medal for Sweden in DH, the previous from Pernilla Wiberg Feb. 16, 1998, in Nagano.

It is the seventh top-seven placing of the season for Julia Mancuso. … The fifth since Jan. 27. … It is her second Olympic result, the previous a 13th place in combined at SLC 2002. … It is the best Olympic DH result for an American woman since Picabo Street placed sixth at Nagano in 1998. … It is the 10th top-eight result of the season for Lindsey Kildow. … Her fourth top eight in DH. … It is her third Olympic result, having previously placed sixth in combined and 32nd in slalom at SLC 2002. … It is the fourth-best result of the season for Stacey Cook. … Her first Olympic result. … Twentieth matches the sixth-best result of the season for Emily Brydon. … And matches her best in DH for the season (St. Moritz). … It is her best of three Olympic results, having previously finished 27th in slalom and 38th in GS at SLC in 2002. … Twenty-first matches Kirsten Clark’s eighth-best result of the season (Val d’Isere DH). … It is her eighth Olympic result, her third in DH, having previously finished 12th at SLC 2002 and 28th Nagano 1998. … It is the eighth-best of nine world-level results this season for Kelly Vanderbeek. … It is her first Olympic result. … It is the third world-level result above 30 for Shona Rubens. … It is her first Olympic result. … It is the eighth world-level result above 30 for Sherry Lawrence. .. It is her first Olympic result.

Winning margin was .37. … Top four skiers were within the same second. … Top 16 within two seconds. … Final finisher, Christelle Laure Douibi of Algeria, finished 53.19 seconds out in 40th place.

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