Zurbriggen Stars as Swiss Skiers Excel

Pirmin Zurbriggen made a comeback Tuesday, two weeks after a kneecap operation, leading the Swiss men and women to dominate downhill trials at Bormio, Italy, for the World Alpine Ski Championships.

The crowd was there only for the Swiss star, who will be 22 next week. He was making his first start since he injured his left knee after winning a World Cup downhill in Kitzbuhel, Austria, Jan. 12.

Zurbriggen dominated the field of 80 entries, mastering the course in 2:10.04.

Meanwhile, in nearby Santa Caterina, the Swiss women were putting together another solid performance, dominating both trial runs.

Michela Figini, the 18-year-old Olympic champion, led the first run in 1:26.40 despite several slalom figures near the finish.

“I trained for both the downhill and slalom,” she joked at the finish. Figini, who leads the 1985 World Cup standings, had a second run in total relaxation and settled for the third best time of 1:27.59.

But Zurbriggen was the star of the day. The defending World Cup champion had capped a strong season start with consecutive downhill victories at Kitzbuhel, but in the second event he felt a snap in his left knee, which required surgery.

“I decided only on Friday to come to Bormio and make a try at the World Championships,” Zurbriggen said.

Michael Mair of Italy had the third fastest time of the day in 2:11.31 behind teammate Danilo Sbardellotto in 2:10.36.

Olympic champion Bill Johnson of Van Nuys, Calif., was 36th in 2:15.16.