An Austrian won the first downhill of the season in Lake Louise — apparently not a big deal since this team has dominated that event in recent years.

Eberharter's win took him by surprise. At 31, he is a veteran on the World Cup tour, but he has never won a downhill — until now. In his career, he has finished 2nd or 3rd seven times in downhill, often only a few hundredths of a second behind the winners. He had nearly given up his hopes of reaching a downhill win — skiing's holy grail reserved for the "real men" in the sport.

"When I was a child, I was a big fan of the great Franz Klammer, but I was a GS skier. I was not planning to become a world-class downhiller."

But Stephan's hour of fame finally arrived in Lake Louise where the first downhill of the season was held under windy conditions.

The men to beat were the same as usual: his teammate Hermann Maier, very fast in training; Hannes Trinkl, last season's winner; Lasse Kjus, the 1999 downhill World Cup champion who is having a great comeback. Stephan was only a dark horse among other ones.

Eberharter did not ski particularly well in the training run, and he had no pressure during his actual run, except from the strong gusts of wind that almost pushed him out of the track on his way down the mountain. His speed accelerated in the last long gliding section leading toward the finish line.

In fact, the Eberharter was upset after crossing the finish line and only relaxed when he saw that he had set the fastest time on the Swatch timing board — in front of Lasse Kjus and the other top guns.

"I had to fight so hard to come safe through the finish line today," Eberharter said. "The wind was terrible and I made so many mistakes. I can't believe I won today, it's for sure a special win."

"When I was a child, I was a big fan of the great Franz Klammer, but I was a GS skier. I was not planning to become a world-class downhiller," added the handsom Stephan. "I came often so close to winning a downhill that I didn't want to think anymore about a victory to avoid frustration. I had a good result at Soelden, so I knew that I was in good shape but this is totally unexpected. It gives me great momentum for the rest of the season."

Happy faces also stood next to him on the podium: Switzerland's 21-year-old Silvano Beltrametti reached his first World Cup podium after a clean run in his first race since his severe crash at Wengen last season. Lasse Kjus, the 1999 downhill czar, was beaming too. The Norwegian confirmed his strong form with a controlled, precise run, conquering his second spot on the podium within a week.

Many Austrians were among the top-10, as usual, but so were skiers from several other nations, including the USA. Chad Fleischer, who also returned to action after an injury, finished an inspiring 5th place, just hundredths of a second away from the podium. He could have reached it had he not made a mistake in the lower part of the course. Incredibly enough, the tall American was confident before the race and predicted that he has a chance. His strong performance is important, both for him and for the rest of the US Ski Team.

Chad is now aiming for a consistent season. He worked hard last summer to recover after an injury last December, and he was motivated by teammate Daron Rahlve's great downhill wins in Norway last March.

"I was happy for him but also jealous; I would have preferred to be in his position," Chad said. "We have a very positive rivalry, we are pushing each other up to the top. We can test the skis and our form. Today is my day, and his will also come."

Daron was unhappy about his 21st place. He hopes to rebound in Sunday's super G. "I can't be happy with a 21st place now, I was fighting for more. Maybe I was too hard on my skis," he said.

Another American, Paul Casey Pucket, was 23rd. Paul crashed in the finish area, right in front of his horrified wife, but he soon jumped up and shouted his joy when he saw that he scored a few World Cup points after all.

Hermann Maier was 15th, his worst World Cup result in a long time. "I got some bad wind, and I almost crashed in the last section," he said. "I hope to be luckier in the super G." Maier's girlfriend Gudrund, a law student, cheered for him on the sidelines. Members of the Hermann Maier fan club were also there to support him. Perhaps he will have a better opportunity for the podium in Sunday's super G.

— Patrick Lang, World Cup Correspondent

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