SKIING : U.S. Women’s Team Loses Leading Racer

American skiing hopes were dealt another severe blow Friday when it was determined that Diann Roffe, the leading U.S. racer on the World Cup circuit, will be sidelined for the rest of the season.

Roffe, 23, who fell during downhill training Wednesday at Morzine, France, underwent surgery on her left knee at the Steadman-Hawkins Clinic in Vail, Colo. The operation, by Dr. Richard Steadman, was performed to reconstruct the anterior cruciate ligament and repair the lateral meniscus.

“She’ll be off skis for six months but should recover completely in time for the Olympics,” said Topper Hagerman, the team’s sports medicine coordinator.

The next Winter Games are scheduled Feb. 8-23, 1992, at Albertville, France. Of more immediate concern are the World Alpine Ski Championships next Jan. 21-Feb. 3 at Saalbach, Austria, where the U.S. ski team will probably wind up without a medal.

Roffe, of Isle La Motte, Vt., won the women’s giant slalom gold medal in the 1985 World Championships at Bormio, Italy, and was apparently poised for another bid, scoring 29 points in this season’s first five World Cup races.

Last season, Roffe earned 130 points, after coming back from a string of four previous operations--two on each knee.

Another U.S. medal hopeful, Kristi Terzian, was knocked out of action for the season after suffering a knee injury in October.

Hilary Lindh of Juneau, Alaska, was the top American finisher in the women’s downhill Friday at Morzine, France, placing 16th behind winner Petra Kronberger of Austria.

Kronberger, the defending World Cup overall champion, was timed in 1 minute 41.72 seconds as she edged Chantal Bournissen of Switzerland by .06 of a second. Lindh was clocked in 1:44.04.

It was the fourth victory in six races this season for Kronberger. She has already won a slalom, a giant slalom and a super-G event, and is far ahead in the women’s standings with 140 points.

At Kranjska Gora, Yugoslavia, Alberto Tomba of Italy won a World Cup giant slalom and took the men’s overall lead with 97 points.

He was timed in 2:24.96 for the two runs while defeating runner-up Urs Kaelin of Switzerland by .53 of a second for his third victory of the season.