Bode Miller's chance for a rare sweep of five events in a season ended yesterday when a World Cup downhill at Kitzbuehel, Austria, was postponed because of wet snow, forcing the cancellation of the combined.
The race will be rescheduled in Kvitfjell, Norway, the International Ski Federation said.
Tina Maze of Slovenia is cheered on by a home crowd as she wins the World Cup giant slalom for the third time.
(Aldo Martinuzzi -- AP)
|
|
_____ 2004 Summer Olympics _____
• Look back at the Athens Games, highlighted by Michael Phelps's eight medals and marked by unfounded worries over terrorism.
• Photos
| | |
|
Organizers called off the Hahnenkamm downhill for the first time in 12 years, but the slalom was expected to run today despite predictions of poor weather.
Miller leads the overall World Cup rankings with 1,048 points, with Austria's Benjamin Raich next at 850.
There are only two combined events on the World Cup schedule this season. The other, a new version of the competition, was held last week in Wengen, Switzerland.
In December, Miller won a night slalom for a sweep of all four disciplines -- slalom, giant slalom, Super-G and downhill. He did so in 16 days, the shortest span in World Cup history. Luxembourg's Marc Girardelli swept all four over 72 days in 1988-89. Girardelli has an edge on the American, also winning the combined event that same winter.
The winner of both combined events last year -- in Chamonix, France, and Kitzbuehel -- Miller has had less success this time. He went out in the slalom leg of the super-combined in Wengen, a one-day race that added times from a shortened downhill to a one-leg slalom.
In addition, Miller has completed only a single slalom in five attempts this season, the race he won in Sestriere, Italy, more than a month ago.
"Based on Bode's performance in the slalom and the terrible snow conditions here, I can't say it's a big loss," U.S. Coach Phil McNichol said. . . .
Tina Maze of Slovenia won a World Cup giant slalom for the third time this season; meantime, Lindsey Kildow of the United States enjoyed her best result in the event by finishing ninth in Maribor, Slovenia.
Kildow, a speed specialist, had failed to complete any of her three previous giant slaloms this season. She has won a downhill at Lake Louise, Alberta, and has had seven more top-three finishes since.
"It was a big step forward -- obviously one of the biggest days of my career as far as my technical skills," Kildow said. "Maybe it will give me a push."
• SNOWBOARDING: Andy Finch and Kelly Clark won halfpipe titles for the United States at the European Open in Laax, Switzerland.
Finch and Keir Dillon gave the American men a 1-2 finish. Finch set the pace during the first heat with a competition-high 95.5 of 100 points in the two-run final. Dillon had 87.5 points and Nicolas Mueller of Switzerland was third with 81.2.
Clark took first with a score of 93.2 after the competition was cut short midway through the finals' second heat because of darkness.
• BOBSLED: The Swiss team of Martin Annen and Beat Hefti edged Canadians Pierre Lueders and Lascelles Brown by six-hundredths of a second to win a World Cup two-man race in Cesana Pariol, Italy.
• SKI JUMPING: Finn Janne Ahonen soared to a record 12th victory of the World Cup season by winning a large hill event in Titisee-Neustadt, Germany. Ahonen has won 12 of the 16 events this season and leads the overall standings by more than 500 points.
• BIATHLON: Kati Wilhelm of Germany won the women's 7.5-kilometer World Cup sprint, beating Norwegians Tora Berger and Linda Tjorhom in Anterselva, Italy.
• CROSS-COUNTRY: Lukas Bauer of the Czech Republic and Kristin Steira of Norway recorded their first World Cup victories of the season, capturing double pursuit events in Pragelato, Italy.
• LUGE: In Winterberg, Germany, Italy's Christian Oberstolz and Patric Gruber won their first doubles race of the season.
