08 MAR 2001 > Women's Downhill
Gerg Takes Race, Kostner the Crystal Globe
Race Results

Germany's 1998 Olympic Slalom Champion Hilde Gerg was the surprise winner of the last downhill of the season, an important event in the race for the 2001 downhill World Cup title.

Her first victory this winter, and first since breaking her leg last winter, Gerg beat by 31/100 of a second Italy's Isolde Kostner and by 41/100 Switzerland's Sylviane Berthod.

"I've been aiming for years for this Crystal Cup..."

With her 2nd-place finish, Kostner clinched the season's downhill title and Crystal Cup, the first of her career. "I've been aiming for years for this Crystal Cup," she said, "and I'll enjoy it even more now. I thank my crew which has supported me so well for the last years." She is the first Italian skier to win a World Cup title in a speed event.

Kostner was quite tense after her run and she needed a long time to relax and enjoy what she considers her greatest success as a ski racer.

"I didn't ski so well today because of the flat light. I couldn't attack the way I wanted," she said. "I became quite nervous when I saw at the finish line that I lost so much time on Hilde Gerg, because she didn't ski so well in downhill this season and I was afraid the course would get faster. But finally everything went fine for me. I'm so happy because I've never won any medal in downhill so far, and I came in 3rd twice in past downhill standings."

A member of the Italian team since 1993, Kostner has the privilege of having her own personal technical trainer, Valerio Ghirardi, who was fired from the team two years ago. She fought hard to retain him, and she proved that she made the right choice.

Kostner's main rival for this downhill title, Austria's Renate Goetschl, crashed in the middle of her run. She was upset upset after her unexpected fall, her first in a long time.

"I don't know what happened. I didn't see this small bump on time, and I totally lost my balance," Goetschl said. "I'm quite bitter. It's not the way that I imagined ending the downhill season after such a good start. It's also a pity to miss such an opportunity to score points for the overall."

Goetschl, who has won twice in Are in the last two years, decided to start in 23rd position today which turned out to be the wrong choice. The visibility diminished after the first racers who skied in much better light.

In Friday's super G, Goetschl hopes to come back among the top-3 as she did in both Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Lenzerheide. She needs a good result to have a chance to pass Janica Kostelic in the overall standings. Goetschl doesn't think she has a good chance to beat Régine Cavagnoud in the super G standings, as she's behind by 80 points.

Canada's Mélanie Turgeon reached a good 4th place just in front of the USA's Megan Gerety, 5th, which reinforced her position in first seed in this speciality.

USA's Caroline Lalive was 9th, her best result since her excellent races at Haus im Ennstal where she was 7th. At the St. Anton World Championships, LaLive suffered several crashes in both the speed events and in the combined slalom.

Her teammate Jonna Mendes was a far 19th while Kirsten Clark finished a disappointing 21st. Two weeks ago, Clark won her first World Cup race at Lenzerheide. All four US skiers are among the top-21 in the start list ranking, with teammates Allison Powers, injured at Haus, in 26th, and Picabo Street, 27th.

France's Régine Cavagnoud finished a disappointing 20th after a major mistake in the middle part of the course, yet she was able to hold on to her 3rd place position in the downhill World Cup standings.

Turgeon believes in her chance for a place on the podium in the super G, her last World Cup race of the winter. Kostelic will also compete in that race, despite the pain in her left knee which she injured several years ago. The fight for the overall trophy should be quite dramatic.

— Manuèle Lang, World Cup Correspondent

Email this story to a friend