Street fails to make Super-G team

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) -- Huddled over and hiding her face, Picabo Street sat in the snow and cried in the finish area Friday after a 33rd-place performance denied the American skier the chance to defend her Olympic title in the Super-G.

At first, Street slammed her poles and stomped her skis after a fourth straight poor World Cup showing in the event cost her a spot on the U.S. Super-G team for the Salt Lake City games next month.

Eventually, though, other emotions took over.

For 10 minutes after her finish, Street sat motionlesss, except for the occasional small heaves of her sobs. A young teammate finally came to lead the colorful 30-year-old veteran away from the finish area as other skiers continued to arrive.

But like her famous first name, Street eventually emerged with a smile and a verbal burst on everything from her technique and fears to Olympic dreams and Michael Jordan.

"This is just me being me," said the freckled skier, who has qualified for the Olympic downhill. "You know, my best maybe just isn't good enough. And that's okay, that's human."

Hilde Gerg of Germany was the best Friday, edging Austrian Renate Goetschl by one hundredth of a second to win her second World Cup Super-G race of the season. Gerg's win adds to consecutive World Cup downhill triumphs at Saalbach-Hinterglemm two weeks ago, solidifying her position as a leading medal contender in Salt Lake City.

Street will have exactly one shot at a final Olympic medal -- in the downhill, which has always been her best event despite the surprise Super-G gold in Nagano.

"[Downhill] is more natural for me," said Street, who has come back from her third major injury to register two-top 10 downhill finishes in World Cup this season. "There are certain risks that you have to take in Super-G that I'm just not ready to take."

Jonna Mendes, the 22-year-old who comforted her older teammate, said Street still has a shot to add to her downhill silver from the 1994 games.

"Downhill is still where it's at for Picabo," Mendes said. "Now she can focus only on that and ski fast."

Still, there was some nostalgia Friday for Street, who is grappling with the decision of whether to retire after the Olympics.

"You know, I was thinking at the top today that this is my last Super-G," said Street, who will race downhill Saturday before skipping the World Cup events next week in Are, Sweden.

But even as her confidence appeared to waver, Street left open the door to continue beyond Salt Lake City, .

"Nothing is definite," she said. "Maybe I was trying to control my destiny too much...It was going to be the perfect ending, and like Jordan I'm going to hit the last point of the last game."

 

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