Daily Updates — Live from Nagano

Women's Slalom Report by Martin Bell [click to listen] [click for transcript]

German Gerg Comes Back to Steal Gold from the Italian Favorite

Italian Deborah Compagnoni, the favorite in this women's slalom race, almost had her gold in the bag, but German Hilde Gerg came from behind and snatched it in what seemed a millisecond.

Steggall Takes Outback's First Ski Medal

Gerg beat Compagnoni by six one-hundredths of a second and nearly fell over backward as she watched the scoreboard at the bottom of the run — it read 1:32.40 to Compagnoni's 1:32.46.

Compagnoni had led the first run by six tenths.

Australian Zali Steggall wasn't far behind grabbing the bronze in 1:32.67. Steggall won the Outback's first skiing medal and only the second ever at the winter Games.

Though the men's GS course was blessed with new snow the night before, the women's course in Shiga Kogen was slick. The first run was only fairly disastrous for a few of the skiers, but by the second run, the course claimed seven of the first 10 down.

The top finishers today though had stellar runs in these semi-adverse conditions. Gerg, 22, in her first Olympics is definitely getting a taste of the world of the skiing elite as she adds this gold to the bronze she won in the women's combined three days ago.

It was a sad day for the US's Kristina Koznick, a medal hopeful, who this year kicked butt at the end of the World Cup Tour and was promoted to the US Ski Team's A team just before the Games. Koznick didn't pull out a competitive first run (9th) and then straddled a gate in her second and was disqualified.

US Ski team returnee Julie Parisien, who won a spot back on the team this year after having turned pro for the prior two seasons, earned a two run time of 1:36.35 and the best US finish, in 13th.

No American woman has medaled in the slalom since 1972.

Results

1 Hilde Gerg  Germany 1:32.40
2 Deborah Compagnoni Italy 1:32.46
3 Zali Steggall Australia 1:32.67
4 Martina Ertl Germany 1:32.91
5 Sabine Egger Austria 1:33.22
6 Ingrid Salvenmoser Austria 1:33.39
7 Martina Accola Switzerland 1:34.12
8 Morena Gallizio Italy 1:34.87
9 Monika Bergmann Germany 1:34.99
10 Anna Ottosson Sweden 1:35.24
11 Natasa Bokal Slovenia 1:35.59
12 Ylva Nowen Sweden 1:36.33
13 Julie M.J. Parisien United States 1:36.35
14  Maria Jose Rienda Contreras Spain 1:36.46
15 Lara Magoni Italy 1:36.63
16 Alenka Dovzan Slovenia 1:36.66
17 Kazuko Ikeda Japan 1:37.29
18 Tanja Poutiainen Finland 1:37.51
19 Vicky Grau Andorra 1:37.69
20 Junko Yamakawa Japan 1:38.10
21 Diana Fehr Liechtenstein 1:38.76
22 Sarah Schleper United States 1:39.42
23 Tamara Schaedler Liechtenstein 1:40.01
24 Kumiko Kashiwagi Japan 1:40.46
25 Carola Calello Argentina 1:41.56
26 Nadejda Vassileva Bulgaria 1:45.44
27 Mirjana Granzov Yugoslavia 1:46.65
        
Martina Fortkord Sweden DNF
Urska Hrovat Slovenia DNF
Kristina Koznick United States DNF
Spela Pretnar Slovenia DNF
Karin Roten Switzerland DNF
Trine Bakke Norway DNF
Leila Piccard France DNF
Katerina Tichy Canada DNF
Monica Bosch Forrellad Spain DNF
Henna Raita Finland DNF
Katrine Hvidsteen Denmark DNF