Compagnoni Gives Italy Another Gold : Skiing: She wins the women’s super-giant event while Tomba is taking first in the giant slalom. The two trained together informally last summer.

The fortunes of the Italian ski team will take a definite upturn if Deborah Compagnoni and Alberto Tomba continue to time their victories on the same day.

Compagnoni, who trained informally with Tomba last summer near her home in Bormio, skied powerfully and smoothly down the Piste du Corbey course Tuesday, winning the women’s super-giant slalom, a triumph later matched by Tomba in the men’s giant slalom at Val d’Isere. The two had won on the same day once before, when Compagnoni won a World Cup super-G race at Morzine, France, on Jan. 26 and Tomba a World Cup slalom at Wengen, Switzerland.

“I thought today he must win after me,” Compagnoni said through a translator. “It’s a beautiful victory for Italy, a great day for Italy and for both of us.”

Compagnoni, 21, started 16th on a course that had been padded with soft snow from the previous day’s snowfall. She knew that Carole Merle of France, the favorite, had skied well on the lower part of the course to take the early lead and feared Merle’s time would be unbeatable.

“I thought I could be second or third,” Compagnoni said.

“But I never thought I could be first. I never thought I was winning, but then at the end everything was good and I was much quicker.”

She was quick enough to finish in 1 minute 21.22 seconds, well ahead of Merle’s 1:22.63. Germany’s Katja Seizinger, who was .33 faster than Merle at the second checkpoint, nearly fell on a turn as she came into view of spectators at the bottom of the course and lost her chance at a silver medal. She considered herself fortunate to hold off Austria’s Petra Kronberger and win the bronze by .01, in 1:23.19.

“I made a big mistake, but I believe I can say I’m very delighted and very happy now,” Seizinger said. “To be on the podium is a victory.”

The best hope for an American victory vanished early, when Diann Roffe of Potsdam, N.Y., the first skier, fell about 30 seconds into her run. Eva Twardokens of Santa Cruz was eighth in 1:24.19, and Hilary Lindh of Juneau, Alaska, the downhill silver medalist, was 18th in 1:25.37.

Julie Parisien of Auburn, Me., was disqualified for leaving the starting gate too soon. Her time of 1:24.45 was the 11th fastest of the day, but it was erased when timers reviewed tapes of the race and discovered her infraction.

Said Roffe of her fall:

“All it takes is one little mistake. It happens so fast. I just got on my inside ski and hit a little bump and it was over. I took it with so much confidence. But all I can do is swallow and look for (today’s giant slalom).”

Twardokens, who will also compete in the giant slalom with Edith Thys, Roffe and Parisien, said Roffe’s fall Tuesday was dispiriting to the U.S. skiers.

“I was surprised because Diann is such a solid skier,” Twardokens said.

“I knew she was laying it on the line, risking it all. . . . Eighth is by far my best, by seven spots my best super-G of the year. I have to be happy with it, because I beat a lot of people I hadn’t beaten before.”

She’d be happier if she could get another shot at the course.

“I’d like to watch Compagnoni’s run on video before I try again,” Twardokens said. “What did she do?”

Compagnoni used the skis she had worn in her victory at Morzine, skis that are slightly more than an inch longer than most women’s skis.

“They are of a giant structure, maybe not as quick as super-G skis, but for me they turn very well,” she said. “For me, it is good to have skis that turn very well.”

Merle, who was 13th in the downhill, said her medal Tuesday should lighten the burden put on her to win in her home country.

“I’m super satisfied,” she said. “It was important for me to be up on the podium. I have already met my objective, therefore (today) I’m going to go all out and I won’t have any pressure on me. I won’t be skiing for a medal absolutely because I already have one. . . . It is difficult to be the favorite, indeed. I know people were expecting me to get a medal. I did find some seclusion and I was relaxed, and I skied accordingly.”