Wednesday — January 28, 2004

Miller, Rahlves
triumph at Kitzbuehel

On Hahnenkamm weekend

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U.S. Ski Team racers Bode Miller and Daron Rahlves triumphed during the "Super Bowl" of alpine weekends—the Hahnenkamm DH/DH/SG/SL Jan. 22-25 at Kitzbuehel, Austria.

Miller, 26, skiing with controlled aggression in a snowstorm, placed fourth in Sunday’s slalom that concluded the four-race, 64th Hahnenkamm weekend. With the result, Miller won the Kitzbuehel combined event.

It was Miller’s second combined win of the 2003-04 season and 10th victory of his World Cup career. He stayed in fourth place in the overall standings with 701 points, 123 behind leader Lasse Kjus of Norway.

Last year’s Hahnenkamm downhill king Rahlves, 30, continued his remarkable success at Kitzbuehel by winning Friday’s super giant slalom and placing second to Austria’s Stephan Eberharter, 33, in Saturday’s DH on the famed 3.3k Streif course.

Rahlves said about Eberharter’s 1.21-second victory—the fourth largest for any Kitzbuehel DH ever—" I had the run I wanted and Steph just had a great one. He did a great job."

After placing third in Thursday’s make-up DH, Rahlves has been on the podium at Kitzbuehel five times in the last four years, equalling the mark of U.S. Hall of Famer Phil Mahre who did it mainly in combined and slalom from 1981-84 on the Austrian hill.

Rahlves’ SG triumph Friday was the sixth World Cup win of his career, but his first in SG—and the first SG win by an American since Tommy Moe climbed the top step in 1994.

The U.S. women didn’t have much success in technical races in Slovenia. Kristina Koznick placed 17th in Sunday’s slalom and Kirsten Clark 18th in Saturday’s GS. Winning both races, her sixth and seventh wins of the 2003-04 season, was World Cup leader Anja Paerson of Sweden (998).

Women go to Haus, Aust. for two downhills and SG starting Friday, Jan. 30. After Tuesday’s night slalom at Schladming, Aust., the men compete in downhill and SG at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germ. on our Super Bowl weekend.

Here is last week’s wrap-up:

Men’s SL Jan. 25 at Kitzbuehel, Aust.: 1—Kalle Palander (Fin.) 1:30.63. 4—Bode Miller 1:31.81. 9—Tom Rothrock 1:32.15. 26—Chip Knight 1:33.77. DNF—Jimmy Cochran, Jake Zamansky. DNQ—Jesse Marshall.

Men’s combined Jan. 25 at Kitzbuehel: 1—Bode Miller 3:31.43. 2—Benjamin Raich (Ausst.) 3:32.44.

Men’s 64th Hahnenkamm DH Jan. 24 at Kitzbuehel: 1—Stephan Eberharter (Aust.) 1:55.48. 2—Daron Rahlves 1:56.69. 16—Bode Miller 1:58.02. 29—Jake Fiala 1:59.22.

Men’s SG Jan. 23 at Kitzbuehel: 1—Daron Rahlves 1:23.08. 2—Hermann Maier (Aust.) 1:23.11. 28—Bode Miller 1:24.86. 33—Jake Fiala 1:25.12. 49—Thomas Vonn 1:26.83. DNF—Bryon Fridman, Wade Bishop.

Men’s DH Jan. 22 at Kitzbuehel, Aust.: 1—Lasse Kjus (Nor.) 1:58.78. 3—Daron Rahlves 1:58.98. 7—Bode Miller 1:59.62. 26—Bryon Friedman 2:01.11. 44—Jake Fiala 2:02.63. 57—Wade Bishop 2:06.17.

Current men’s World Cup overall standings: 1—Lasse Kjus (Nor.) 824. 2—Benjamin Raich (Aust.) 818. 3—Hermann Maier (Aust.) 732. 4—Bode Miller 701 (1-GS, 1-C). 10—Daron Rahlves 556 (3-DH).

Women’s SL Jan. 25 at Maribor, Slov.: 1—Anja Paerson (Swe.) 1:38.08. 17—Kristina Koznick 1:41.24. DNF—Lindsey Kildow, Julia Mancuso. DNQ—Sarah Schleper, Resi Stiegler.

Women’s GS Jan. 24 at Maribor: 1—Anja Paerson (Swe.) 2:18.27. 18—Kirsten Clark 2:21.50. 19—Libby Ludlow 2:21.51. 21—Sarah Schleper 2:21.84. 27—Caroline Lalive 2:22.37. DNQ—Kristina Koznick, Julia Mancuso.

Current women’s World Cup standings: 1—Anja Paerson (Swe). 998 (1-SL). 2—Renate Goetschl (Aust.) 893 (1-DH). 9—Kirsten Clark 456 (5-DH). 18—Caroline Lalive 216. 21—Sarah Schleper 205.

 

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