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Poutiainen leads pack

Tanja Poutiainen of Finland during the first run of the World Cup Giant Slalom on the Rettenbach glacier in Soelden, Austria, on Saturday. PHOTO: EPA

Tanja Poutiainen of Finland posted the fastest time yesterday in the first run of the season-opening World Cup giant slalom.

Poutiainen, who won the women's giant slalom and slalom titles last season, negotiated the 45 gates dotting the steep Rettenbach glacier in 1 minute, 10.83 seconds.

She was almost half a second quicker than overall World Cup champion Anja Paerson and Tina Maze of Slovenia. Paerson and Maze tied for second in 1:11.30.

Maria Jose Rienda Contreras of Spain was fourth, running 0.98 off the pace.

Croatia's Janica Kostelic, the Olympic giant slalom champion, clocked the fifth-best time of 1:12.16. The triple Olympic and five-time world champion, who finished a close second to Paerson for last season's overall title, looked strong after partially rupturing a tendon in her left hamstring during training last month.

She underwent surgery four months ago to remove damaged cartilage in her right knee -- her fifth operation in little more than a year. She returned to the World Cup circuit last season following three knee operations and surgery to remove her thyroid gland.

Austria's Renate Goetschl, who finished third overall last season, escaped from a big crash uninjured.

Kristina Koznick was the fastest US skier, crossing in 16th position, 2.64 seconds off the lead.

Americans Resi Stiegler and Sarah Schleper opted not to start. Stiegler hurt her left shin in Friday's training, while Schleper was suffering from back problems.

SAY IT AIN'T SO, BODE

Reigning World Cup overall champion Bode Miller drew sharp criticism from fellow competitors and ski officials Friday for suggesting doping should be liberalized in the sport.

On the eve of this season's World Cup opener, Miller suggested doping should be legalized or the accepted levels of banned substances should be increased.

"It's totally stupid to say that," women's overall champion Anja Paerson of Sweden said.

"Letting doping invade sport would be very stupid. We all train very hard to get to the top in a clean way and in the fight against doping."

World Cup slalom champion Rainer Schoenfelder, who was embroiled in a doping case last year but avoided a ban by arguing the stimulant was contained in a cold medication and did not help his performance, agreed.

"It's a stupid thing to say," Schoenfelder said. "He argues that allowing doping would make it safer for racing downhill. I suggest he should practice a bit more on the glacier in the summer instead."

International Ski Federation president Gian Franco Kasper called Miller's statements "ridiculous" and said he wanted the US Ski and Snowboard Association to tell Miller to tone down his rhetoric.

Kasper, who is on the World Anti-Doping Agency's executive board, said anti-doping authorities might now test Miller more frequently throughout the season.

"Our stance on doping hasn't changed," US men's head coach Phil McNichol said. "I don't know if that was Bode just saying what was on his mind at the time, but he's going to have to live with that comment now. It's not going to go away."

Hans Knauss, who retired after receiving an 18-month doping ban, said he considered Miller's comments gratuitous and provocative.

"Bode is special and maybe he just wants to be different," Knauss said. "I don't understand why he'd stir up trouble about doping by himself."

Miller, who last year became the first American man in 22 years to win the World Cup overall title, has made several arguments in favor of liberalizing doping. He says doping could make it safer for athletes, who must make critical split-second decisions when they are exhausted at the end of the course.

"I feel it's super hypocritical for a drug to be legal for you to buy, but not for an athlete to buy," Miller said. "You have to look at the result and ask would [drugs] help guys not to injure themselves and beat themselves up as bad so that they would have a more positive, enjoyable life at the end of their lifetime."

In his soon-to-be published autobiography titled Bode: Go Fast, Be Good, Have Fun, Miller writes: "I believe that athletes who used performance-enhancing drugs are cheaters and ought to be caught for the sake of the sport. That part of what the World Anti-Doperators do is needed and appreciated, so job well done."
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