Maier, Kostelic are World Cup champions
Schlopy third in giant slalom ranks
Everybody knew about Austria’s Hermann Maier. But Janica
Kostelic was the big surprise on the Café de Colombia World Cup circuit
for the recently-concluded 2000-01 season.
Maier, 28, from Flachau, Austria and Kostelic, 19, from
Zagreb, Croatia are the newly-crowned World Cup overall champions after
last weekend’s finals at Are, Sweden.
It’s Maier’s third overall triumph in four years. And,
for a second straight year "The Herminator" swept the downhill,
super giant slalom and giant slalom disciplines—DH by 14 points and GS
by a mere 10 points.
By winning Saturday’s GS at Are, ex-bricklayer Maier
tied legendary Swede Ingemar Stenmark’s record of 13 World Cup victories
in a single season, set in 1979 when Maier was eight years old.
Super-teen Kostelic was 22nd overall with 420 points last
season after suffering a season-ending knee injury in December 1999.
The knee became a problem again this season and she faces
surgery and a possible premature retirement—but Kostelic won the first
eight of the nine slaloms and beat her closer pursuer 824-384 in the SL
standings.
Leading American in the final overall standings was Erik
Schlopy, 15th with 434 points and third in the GS standings with 350. That’s
the first time since Phil Mahre in 1983 that an American has landed in the
top three in final giant slalom ranks.
Schlopy, 28, from Park City, Utah had a great finish
Saturday, placing second behind Maier in the GS finale. Schlopy said,
"Maier is the best skier, unbeatable right now. But I had a good race
and I’m looking forward to the Olympics, in my hometown."
Next for the Americans: The Chevy Truck U.S. Nationals
March 23-28 at Big Mountain, Mt.
Final American results in the World Cup standings:
Men’s overall: 1—Hermann Maier (Aust.) 1,618. 2—Stephan
Eberharter (Aust.) 875. 3—Lasse Kjus (Nor.) 866. 15—Erik Schlopy 434.
29—Daron Rahlves 255. 42—Bode Miller 185. 49—Chad Fleischer 145. 65—Casey
Puckett 85.
Men’s downhill: 1—Maier 576. 2—Eberharter
562. 3—Fritz Strobl (Aust.) 402. 15—Rahlves 149. 18—Fleischer 120.
Men’s SG: 1—Maier 420. 2—Christoph Gruber (Aust.)
246. 3—Josef Strobl (Aust.) 228. 17—Rahlves 70. 33—Fleischer 25. 34—Miller
21. 39—Casey Puckett 17.
Men’s giant slalom: 1—Maier 622. 2—Michael
Von Gruenigen (Switz.) 612. 3—Schlopy 350. 15—Miller 158. 38—Rahlves
36.
Men’s slalom: 1—Benjamin Raich (Aust.) 545. 2—Heinz
Schilchegger (Aust.) 414. 3—Mario Matt (Aust.) 406. 22—Schlopy 84.
Women’s overall: 1—Janica Kostelic (Croatia)
1,256. 2—Renate Goetschl (Aust.) 1,189. 3—Regine Cavagnoud (Fra.)
1,105. 4—Sonja Nef (Switz.) 1,060.
17—Kristina Koznick 371. 23—Sarah Schleper 316. 26—Caroline
Lalive 309. 30—Kirsten Clark 285. 33—Megan Gerety 271. 37—Jonna
Mendes 190. 67—Alison Powers 61. 68—Picabo Street 59.
Women’s downhill: 1—Isolde Kostner (Italy) 596.
2—Goetschl 455. 3—Cavagnoud 360. 10—Gerety 204. 12—Clark 181. 17—Mendes
127. 20—Lalive 97. 25—Powers 61. 26—Street 59.
Women’s SG: 1—Cavagnoud 577. 2—Goetschl 466.
3—Carole Montillet (Fra.) 405. 22—Clark 99. 27—Gerety 67. 29—Mendes
63. 30—Lalive 54.
Women’s giant slalom: 1—Nef 676. 2—Anja
Paerson (Swe.) 408. 3—Michaela Dorfmeister (Aust.) 341. 18—Schleper
106. 26—Koznick 71.
Women’s slalom: 1—Kostelic 824. 2—Nef 384. 3—Martina
Ertl (Germ.) 346. 7—Koznick 300. 11—Schleper 210. 25—Lalive 70.
