Aamodt wins world combined title
Posted: Tuesday February 09, 1999 08:07 PM
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Aamodt is the only skier to have won world championship medals in all five disciplines. AP |
VAIL, Colo. (AP) -- Norwegians Kjetil Andre Aamodt and Lasse Kjus maintained their season-long dominance in the men's combined, finishing 1-2 in the event Tuesday at the World Alpine Ski Championships.
Switzerland's Paul Accola took the bronze medal as the top seven racers after the first slalom run held their positions in the second run.
The combined times of a downhill and two slalom runs determined the combined champion.
"The combination is the worst competition for us because we know we're favorites," Aamodt said. "The (time) difference in the downhill was small, so I knew I had to risk in the slalom to get the gold or take a medal."
Kjus won his third medal of these championships, having already shared a gold with Austria's Hermann Maier in the super-G and earning a silver in the downhill.
"I'm very satisfied," Kjus said. "I skied very well today. Kjetil skied a bit better. I tried to ski the fastest I could in the second run but it wasn't good enough."
Austrian men and women had claimed 10 out of a possible 15 medals through the first five events, but they were shut out for the first time on Tuesday.
Norway now has five medals, all accounted for by Kjus and Aamodt.
Canada's Darin McBeath was the top North American, placing 13th in 2:49.67. Jakub Fiala of Breckenridge, Colo., was the top American, finishing 16th in 2:52.32.
Aamodt, gold medalist in the combined at the last world championships in 1997 in Sestrieres, Italy, led Kjus by .40 seconds entering the second heat of the slalom.
Kjus had the second-fastest time in the second run of 45.12 seconds, giving him a combined time of 2:43.25 and putting pressure on his teammate, who skied next.
Kjus, however, knew his lead was in jeopardy when he noticed he had lost time to Accola in the second run.
Sure enough, Aamodt was up to the challenge. Early in his run he lost a few hundredths of his advantage. But, punching out gates in a mad rush to the bottom, he finished in 45.36 for a total time of 2:43.09.
Accola, who finished second in the combined at the 1989 world championships in Colorado, overcame a slip near the finish when he got sideways between gates and still managed to post the fastest second run, 45.09. His combined time was 2:43.62.
"It's a funny feeling," Accola said, "and I'm very happy after having fought for so many years and not really had a lot of luck. I told myself today that it's either all or nothing."
Austria's Christian Mayer placed fourth in 2:43.89. Switzerland's Bruno Kernen, who paced the downhill portion of the combined on Monday but slipped to fifth place after a mediocre first slalom run earlier Tuesday, was fifth in 2:44.92.
Austria's Michael Walchhofer remained sixth in 2:44.98, and Italy's Alessandro Fattori was seventh in 2:45.88.
Aamodt, the only skier to have won world championship medals in all five disciplines, trailed Kernen by just .08 seconds in the downhill. Aamodt fashioned a first slalom run of 44.21 to move into first place overall at 1:57.73.
Kjus, who was third in the downhill but only .14 seconds behind Kernen, was timed in 44.55 in the first slalom and was second overall at 1:58.13. He lost some ground on his teammate, however, falling .40 seconds behind Aamodt.
Aamodt and Kjus had dominated the two combined events on the World Cup circuit this season. Kjus was first and Aamodt second in a combined in Wengen, Switzerland, on Jan. 17. A week later, Aamodt was first and Kjus second in a combined in Kitzbuhel, Austria.
Accola, sixth after the downhill, moved into third with the second-fastest slalom run, 44.15, and had a total of 1:58.53.
Mayer had the quickest slalom, 43.78, and was in fourth place in 1:58.76.
Mario Reiter of Austria, the 1998 Olympic combined champion, straddled a gate on his first slalom and was disqualified.
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