Austria’s Maier Powers to Gold in Giant Slalom

Austria’s Ulrike Maier outraced teammate Sigrid Wolf and West Germany’s Michaela Gerg to win a tightly contested women’s super giant slalom today at the World Alpine Ski Championships.

Only four-hundredths of a second separated the top three finishers.

Maier, first out of the start house, posted a time of 1 minute, 19.46 seconds that was not bettered by any of the remaining racers.

Wolf, starting fourth, came close with a clocking of 1:19.49 to take the silver medal. Gerg, with start No. 14, came in at 1:19.50 to claim the bronze.

France’s Carole Merle, the undisputed star of women’s super-G racing this season, had the fastest intermediate time about one-third of the way down the course. But Merle sailed too far off a jump and missed a gate, aborting her run.

Discipline Title

Merle has won all three super-G races on the World Cup circuit this season and has clinched the discipline title with one event remaining.

Switzerland’s Maria Walliser, gold medalist in the downhill here Sunday, finished fourth in 1:19.69. Regine Moesenlechner of West Germany and Michela Figini of Switzerland tied for fifth at 1:20.08.

Maier, 21, who has had four second-place finishes in super-G and giant slalom over the last two World Cup seasons but never before a victory, gave Austria its first gold medal of the world championships. Her gold and Wolf’s silver gave Austria three medals, compared to seven for the powerful and deep Swiss team.

Gerg’s bronze also gave West Germany three medals.

Maier, fourth in the World Cup overall standings, was runner-up in the season’s opening super-G to Merle. She was fourth in the next super-G race and 15th in the most recent event, which combines downhill with giant slalom.

Maier said her No. 1 start number wasn’t a factor. “It didn’t matter,” she said of the lack of tracks to follow through the gates. “I knew where I wanted to go.”

Unofficial results showed Canada’s Michelle McKendry finishing seventh in 1:20.27. Austrians Petra Kronberger and Anita Wachter were eighth and ninth, respectively, in 1:20.38 and 1:20.39. Karen Percy of Canada was 10th in 1:20.47.