Newswire : Wirnsberger Downhill Winner; Johnson 7th

Peter Wirnsberger, 27-year-old former Austrian policeman, won the Lauberhorn World Cup downhill at Wengen, Switzerland, Sunday with a time of 2 minutes 35.97 seconds.

Wirnsberger edged Peter Luescher of Switzerland by 22-100ths of a second. Third place went to Peter Mueller of Switzerland. Helmut Hoeflehner finished fourth. Olympic champion Bill Johnson of Van Nuys was seventh.

Hoeflehner continues to lead the World Cup downhill standings with 84 points in five races. Wirnsberger moved to second place with 80 points, followed by Switzerland’s Franz Heinzer at 61.

For a while, it looked as if Johnson, whose star began to rise when he scored his first World Cup victory on this course a year ago, could repeat the feat.

The 10,000 spectators lining the course shouted their approval as his time for the top section, 44.18 seconds, was announced--the fastest by any racer. But, as in earlier races, Johnson lost ground in the bottom stretch and he finished seventh, still his best performance this season.

“I’m in good physical condition, my confidence is back, and today I was shooting for a win,” Johnson said. “And I came damn close today. I knew nobody could beat me at the top, but I blew a little time in the turns.

“I will have to be reckoned with at the World Championships (early next month) in Bormio.”

Michela Figini of Switzerland, mastering an icy course only 35 racers finished at Megeve, Switzerland, won her third consecutive downhill and took a 20-point lead in the women’s overall World Ski Cup standings.

Figini, 18, became the first woman since Marie-Theres Nadig of Switzerland in 1979 to win three World Cup downhills in a row.

Catherine Quittet of France was second and Claudine Emonet, also of France, was third.

Figini, who began the day tied with teammate Brigitte Oertli with 165 Cup points, took sole possession of first place with 185 points. Oertli was among 12 skiers who fell on the hardened 34-gate run.

Norway’s Per Bergerud, who had won two previous World Cup meets at the same site, jumped 361 and 348 feet to take the 90-meter ski jumping gold medal at the World Nordic Championships at Innsbruck, Austria.

Jari Puikkonen of Finland took the silver medal. Another Finn, Olympic 90-meter champion Matti Nykaenen, was third.

East German double Olympic champions Wolfgang Hoppe and brakeman Dieter Schauerhammer won their second straight two-man bobsled title with a pair of record-setting runs at the World Championships in Cervinia, Italy.

East Germany II, driven by Detlef Richter with brakeman Steffen Grummt, was second, and the Soviet Union was third.

Doug Flutie will meet today with New Jersey Generals owner Donald Trump amid growing indications that the Heisman Trophy winner will sign soon with the United States Football League team.