WORLD CUP SKIING : Parisien Hopes for Another Strong Showing

Last week, she overcame flu and the burden of her No. 1 world ranking to win the first World Cup slalom event of the season at Park City, Utah.

This week, Julie Parisien sets out to prove she was no one-week wonder as she leads a strong U.S. women’s team here in the Ski Town USA Classic, the second stop on the World Cup tour.

Parisien, a 21-year-old rising star from Sugarloaf, Me., will compete in today’s giant slalom and Sunday’s slalom.

Slalom is Parisien’s specialty, although the U.S. women are stronger as a team in giant slalom. Last week at Park City, the U.S. team placed six women in the top 30.

Parisien was the top American, finishing ninth, followed by Edie Thys (13th), Wendy Fisher (14th), Diann Roffe-Steinrotter (16th), Eva Twardokens (17th) and Heide Voelker (27th).

Parisien returned to win last week’s slalom, edging Sweden’s Pernilla Wiberg by .03 of a second. Roffe-Steinrotter was the only other American in the top 30, finishing 17th.

Parisien admitted it was “a little hard to concentrate” last week in front of the partisan crowd at Park City, headquarters for the U.S. Ski Team.

But big things are expected again this weekend of Parisien, primarily because many think the more vertical course at Steamboat should play to her strengths as a technical skier.

The competition, particularly in giant slalom, will be stiff.

Austria’s Ulrike Maier won the giant slalom last week, finishing ahead of France’s Carole Merle and Swiss star Vreni Schneider, who overcame a herniated disk in the off-season to finish third at Park City.

Austria’s Petra Kronberger, the defending World Cup all-around champion, got off to a slow start last week, finishing seventh in slalom and 25th in giant slalom.