Austrians again dominated Alpine skiing this season, winning half of the World Cup titles and a record 14 medals at the Olympics.
Janica Kostelic set her own records, though.
The Croatian reclaimed the overall World Cup title from Anja Paerson with a record number of points, and became the most decorated female Alpine skier in Olympic history after winning the gold medal in the combined and silver in the super-G.
That gave her four golds and two silvers in six of her last seven Olympic races -- and that wasn't all.
"I won in all five disciplines [on the World Cup circuit]. I waited seven years to win downhill and super-G and then this year it all happened very fast," said Kostelic, who also won the World Cup slalom title. "I'm very happy with my season."
Kostelic is the second woman to win five all disciplines in a season. Petra Kronberger of Austria did it in 1990-1991.
Still, it was the Austrians that won most of the titles this season, with Benjamin Raich taking the men's overall and giant slalom titles, and the Olympic slalom and giant slalom gold medals.
Michael Walchhofer, the silver medalist in the Olympic downhill, won that discipline's title, while Michaela Dorfmeister swept the women's speed disciplines.
Dorfmeister, who also won gold in the Olympic downhill and super-G, will retire at the end of this season.
The Austrians claimed at least one medal in nine of the 10 races at the Turin Games. They went 1-2-3 in the men's slalom, only the fifth medal sweep in 122 Alpine events in the history of the Winter Olympics.
Also, Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway won the World Cup super-G title, Giorgio Rocca of Italy won the slalom, and Paerson took the women's giant slalom title on the last day of the season.
The US, which had contenders in every Olympic race, came back with only two medals -- Ted Ligety and Julia Mancuso both won gold.
Antoine Deneriaz of France, who was returning from a knee injury, won the Olympic downhill title while others were already congratulating Walchhofer, who ended up second.
Kjetil Andre Aamodt of Norway, who has been skiing on the World Cup circuit for 16 years, successfully defended his Olympic super-G title despite injuring his knee in the downhill. The 34-year-old is a big-race performer who has a record eight Olympic Alpine medals.
It was a pair of Americans that may have been the biggest disappointments at the Olympics, however.
Bode Miller was the defending overall World Cup champion, and he was hyped as a potential medalist in all five events. Daron Rahlves arrived at the games with three World Cup downhill wins this season.
Neither left Turin with a medal.
Miller, who has struggled all season and had only one World Cup win entering the Olympics, failed to finish three of the five Olympic races and his best showing was fifth in the downhill.
Rahlves, who is retiring, was ninth in the super-G, 10th in the downhill and did not finish the giant slalom.
"I push too much in certain situations," Rahlves said.
Besides Rahlves and Dorfmeister, other retirees include Lasse Kjus of Norway, 2002 Olympic downhill champion Carole Montillet of France and Martina Ertl-Renz of Germany.
Miller is unsure of his future, but he recently praised the US team's coaching staff and said he doesn't want break away.
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