Austria's Stephan Eberharter bounced back to form with a downhill win Saturday, clinching the 26th World Cup race victory of his career to match countryman Franz Klammer's total.
"When I was young, Klammer was my idol," Eberharter said after his win. "Winning 26 races like he did is really special. It's a great moment in my career."
PHOTO: EPA
Former Olympic downhill champion Klammer, who celebrated his 50th birthday last December, achieved his feat between 1973-1984.
Eberharter, 34, the two-time defending World Cup champion, clocked a winning time of 1 minute, 59.08 seconds over the 3.34km Alpine course in Chamonix.
He sealed his first ever win in Chamonix -- and first anywhere since winning a super-G in March last year -- by beating Norway's Lasse Kjus, second in 1:59.39, and Austria's Michael Walchhofer, third in 1:59.83.
Eberharter says that, after struggling with a throat problem for the past two months, he is starting to feel better again.
"I stopped coughing at the start of the week," he said. "I'm happy to be healthy again. I think I've got all my energy back, and my skiing is better than it was a few weeks ago.
Under a cloudy sky, Saturday, Eberharter was first down the icy, grainy piste and proved adept in all sections of the course -- clinching the 15th downhill win of his career.
Meanwhile, two-time former World Cup winner Kjus said he was delighted to take his first downhill podium place since winning Olympic silver at Salt Lake City in 2002.
ski jumping
Finland's Janne Ahonen won his first World Cup ski jumping event this season in difficult weather on Saturday, and claimed the lead in the overall standings.
Strong, changing winds in fog and snow caused the start to be postponed twice, and allowed only one round of the competition on the 120K hill at the Jested Mountain.
Ahonen, a seasoned veteran, soared 127 meters to amass 128.6 points, edging Thomas Morgenstern of Austria, the winner in Liberec last year, who jumped 126 meters for 127.3.
Morgenstern's teammate Martin Hoellwarth, who finished second at the Four Hills tour earlier this week, was third, leaping 122.5m to be awarded 121.5 points. Double Olympic champion Simon Ammann of Switzerland was fourth with a jump of 126.5m for 121.5 points.
The victory lifted Ahonen to the top of the overall standings with 558 points, two points ahead of Sigurd Pettersen of Norway, who didn't participate. Hoellwarth is third overall with 417 points.
Pettersen, the winner of the Four Hills tour -- the most prestigious competition on the ski jumping circuit, which finished Tuesday -- chose to rest, as did some other leading jumpers, including Germany's Sven Hannawald and the three-time defending overall champion Adam Malysz of Poland.
Nordic Combined
Hannu Manninen and Samppa Lajunen celebrated a Finland one-two finish in a Nordic Combined World Cup event at the Toni Seelos arena. Manninen came from 14th after the jumping event to head off Lajunen and Germany's Georg Hettich in an event which was originally scheduled for Bischofshofen, but canceled for a lack of snow.
Manninen outsprinted triple Olympic champion Lajunen on the final straight of the 7.5km sprint to record his 16th World cup win.
Ackermann, who placed seventh on Saturday, tops the standings with 698 points, followed by Manninen with 610, and Lajunen with 437.
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