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Perfect weekend Goetschl completes weekend sweep for Austrian women
ST. MORITZ, Switzerland (AP) -- Reigning overall World Cup champion Renate Goetschl won the second of back-to-back downhills Sunday, capping off a perfect weekend for the Austrian women who won both races. The 1999 downhill world champion, who settled for second place in the first of the weekend's two downhills Saturday behind teammate Brigitte Obermoser, refused to have victory slip through her fingers a second time, blitzing down the hard, sun-kissed Corviglia I course in a winning time of 1 minute, 36.49 seconds. It was only the Austrian's fourth trip to the podium this season, though Goetschl also had a slow start last season. At the same time last year, Goetschl had climbed the podium just once before going on to take the World Cup overall and super-G titles. "It's not only the podium which I feel is important for me," said Goetschl, who won a super-G and placed third in a downhill in Lake Louise, Canada, earlier this year. "I need to stay healthy and be consistent and not have any injuries. Winning isn't everything, either." Italy's Isolde Kostner, the winner of the Lake Louise downhill, was runner-up in 1:36.59, just .10 off the pace. "At the end of the course I tried to figure out where I had lost that 10th of a second that lost me the race," said Kostner. "There were two places that I think maybe I made very small mistakes but you can bet I'll be reviewing the video tonight." France's Regine Cavagnoud, who won a super-G on home snow in Val d'Isere last week, was third in 1:37.13. Obermoser, who collected her first career downhill on Saturday, was unable to find her way back onto the podium, placing fourth in 1:37.27. Though the Austrian women did not dominate as they had the previous day, when they had claimed five of the top six places, they still managed to take four of the top eight spots. It was a doubly sweet performance for the Austrian women's speed team, who had been severely criticized by national media for its poor performances in North America, where only Goetschl had managed to reach the podium, placing third in the opening downhill. "It feels good to have these results and say, 'see, we can do it, there's nothing wrong with the team,'" said Goetschl. "We knew it ourselves, but you cannot win all the time. You have ups and downs. But people don't always understand that." American Olympic and world champion Picabo Street, making her comeback to downhill racing this weekend, finished 46th, 3.07 seconds off the pace. It was somewhat of a disappointment for the 28-year-old, who had finished 24th Saturday in her first downhill since the grisly accident at the World Cup finals in Crans Montana, Switzerland, that left her with casts on both legs. Jonna Mendes posted the top American result, crossing 11th in 1:38.01, while Kirsten Clark was 13th in 1:38.09. Canadian Melanie Turgeon had the best North American finish, placing ninth in 1:37.68. The race was interrupted for about 20 minutes after France's Melanie Suchet caught a ski on a turn on the Reinhaltersprunges. Medics tended to her on the course before carrying her off on a sled and transporting her to the Gut Klinik in St. Moritz. The French skier suffered from torn ligaments in her left knee and will need surgery, organizers said. It is the fourth time Suchet has torn knee ligaments.
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