Street’s Downhill Win Ends Big U.S. Weekend

It didn’t take Picabo Street long to live up to her high expectations, and her victory Sunday in a World Cup downhill at Cortina D’Ampezzo, Italy, made it a memorable weekend for American skiers.

On Saturday, American Kyle Rasmussen collected his first World Cup victory in a downhill at Wengen, Switzerland.

Street, a silver medalist in the downhill at the Lillehammer Olympics, completed her run down the Olimpia Tofane course in 1 minute 24.75 seconds. Barbara Merlin of Italy was .46 seconds behind.

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Russia’s Alexei Kobelev won the men’s 10-kilometer race and Anne Briand of France won the women’s 7.5-kilometer event at a World Cup biathlon in Oberhof, Germany. . . . Nicolas Dessum of France soared 112 and 109.5 meters for 214.7 points in winning the large-hill World Cup ski-jumping competition at Sapporo, Japan. . . . Five-time Olympic gold medalist Bonnie Blair fell in the women’s 1,000-meter race at Davos, Switzerland, and lost her overall lead in the World Cup speedskating standings. Shiho Kusunose of Japan finished fourth to pass Blair. Germany’s Franziska Schenk won the 1,000 in 1:21.98.

Miscellany

China might be barred from competing in this summer’s Pan Pacific Championships at Atlanta because 10 Chinese swimmers last year tested positive for banned drugs. The board of directors of U.S. Swimming made the recommendation over the weekend. Board members are expected to make a final decision Feb. 12.

Eastern Mennonite freshman Laurie Miller set a women’s college basketball record by blocking 18 shots in a 63-56 victory over Emory & Henry in Harrisonburg, Va. The all-division record of 15 was set in 1992 by Amy Lundquist of Loyola Marymount.

The Angels signed nine players out of about 1,300 who tried out as replacements. Signed were former USC right-hander Grant Vermillion, former Stanford first baseman Nate Olmstead, right-handed pitchers Doug Robertson of Costa Mesa, Leo Ramirez of Downey, Tony Fetchel of Anaheim and Richard Doyle of La Mirada, left-handed pitchers Dion Beck of Laguna Niguel and Christopher Gunnett of Ramona, and Phil Ouellette, a 33-year-old career minor-league catcher.

Dennis Conner’s Stars & Stripes handed Kevin Mahaney’s Young America its first defeat in America’s Cup Defender yacht racing off San Diego.