A victory, a record, a podium, a pair of trophies and a solid boost for both Stephan Eberharter and Renate Goetschl in the chase for the men's and women's overall title: It was a great day for Austria's downhillers Wednesday at the season finale.
It began with Stephan Eberharter finishing third behind winner Daron Rahlves to finish his season with a record 831 points in the downhill standings. He was finally able to kiss the discipline crystal globe he had already secured in Kvitfjell last weekend.
Eberharter was the only challenger for the overall title to score points and his result vaulted him into second place in the standings, just 22 points behind leader Hermann Maier.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Neither Maier nor Bode Miller, the two other contenders for the overall title, scored any points in the race.
Teammate Renate Goetschl won the women's race to secure the downhill title ahead of Hilde Gerg, her first World Cup trophy since shredding her left knee and breaking her leg in a crash in the spring of 2002.
"It didn't start so well. I almost fell at the second gate and I thought `it's over,'" Goetschl said. "Then I knew I had to risk everything if I wanted to get that downhill small globe."
It was Goetschl's sixth victory of the season and moved her to within 73 points of leader Anja Paerson in the overall standings.
Rahlves triumphed with a winning time of 1 minute, 51.88 seconds to secure second place in the season's final downhill standings.
Eberharter beat his own previous best season-ending record in the downhill standings. He had amassed 810 points on way to winning the discipline globe in 2002. Rahlves, who scored 100 points for Wednesday's victory, vaulted into second place on 627. Maier slipped to third on 537.
Only three races remain this season, a super-G on Thursday, and a giant slalom and slalom on Saturday and Sunday.
"Now it's going to be hard," Maier said. "I'm have to be perfect in the super-G and good in the giant slalom to win."
Ski jumping
Bjorn Einar Romoren of Norway took his second World Cup win in three days, winning the ski jumping event at Puijo on Wednesday.
The in-form Romoren jumped 127.5m and 126.5m for 259.7 points to finish ahead of teammate Roar Ljokelsoy and Alexander Herr of Germany. On Sunday, Romoren won the Lahti Ski Games event for his second World Cup win. He jumped impressively in practice in Kuopio.
"His result in the test for take off force was surely the best he's ever had,'' Norway's Finnish coach Mika Kojonkoski said.
World Cup leader Janne Ahonen of Finland placed fourth and saw his 172-point lead cut to 142 ahead of Ljokelsoy with two events remaining, both in Norway, on Friday and Sunday.
"If the difference between us stays like this, I can be tranquil and not feel forced to win an event, the feeling is quite good," Ahonen said.
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