Ghedina Gives Italy a Win at Val Gardena

Kristian Ghedina became the first Italian to win a World Cup downhill at Val Gardena, Italy, since 1977, beating favored Frenchman Luc Alphand and Austrian Josef Strobl on Saturday.

It was Ghedina’s fifth downhill victory in his career, matching the Italian record held by Herbert Plank. Plank was also the last Italian to win a downhill at Val Gardena.

Ghedina edged Alphand, Friday’s winner, by 0.23 seconds in the second of two consecutive speed races.

“High speed and risk at the wheel and on skis gives me a lot of excitement,” Ghedina said, after scoring his first victory since March 1995.

Ghedina, third behind Alphand and Atle Skaardal of Norway after Friday’s race, was timed in 2 minutes 0.28 seconds down the full 3,346-meter Saslong course. Bright sun and low temperatures helped him record the fast time. Alphand, last season’s World Cup downhill champion, was second in 2:00.51. Strobl placed third in 2:00.73.

AJ Kitt of Boulder, Colo., 26th Friday, improved to eighth, 1.23 seconds behind Ghedina. American teammates Kyle Rasmussen of Angels Camp, Calif., and Tommy Moe of Girdwood, Ark., finished 26th and 27th, respectively.

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Claudia Riegler of New Zealand won her second consecutive World Cup slalom, edging world champion Pernilla Wiberg of Sweden at Crans Montana, Switzerland.

Wiberg, leading after the first run, settled for second place for the second time this season behind Riegler, while France’s Patricia Chauvet finished third.

Riegler, who also won the first slalom of the season in Park City, Utah, finished with a two-run combined time of 1:29.83.

World Cup slalom champion Elfi Eder of Austria didn’t make it to the second run, crashing out in the first leg. Overall World Cup champion Katja Seizinger of Germany missed the race because of flu.

Americans Carrie Sheinberg and Shaina Mulkern also went off course in the first run while Tasha Nelson did not qualify for the second run. Kristina Koznick was the only American to qualify for the second run but failed to finish.

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In a World Cup doubles luge event at Konigssee, Germany, Chris Thorpe of Marquette, Mich., and Gordy Sheer of Croton, N.Y., finished the opening month of the season by winning for a third time and extending their lead in the overall standings to 19 points.

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World champion Ross Powers led the men and Shannon Dunn paced the women to win the first $75,000 U.S. Snowboard Grand Prix at Sugarloaf USA in Carrabassett Valley, Maine.

Tennis

Russia’s Elena Dementieva defeated Melissa Middleton, 14, of Houston, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, to win the 16-and-under singles title at the Rolex Orange Bowl international championships at Miami Beach, Fla.

In the girls’ 18-and-under semifinals, Spain’s Ana Alcazar eliminated Lilia Osterloh of Canal Winchester, Ohio, 6-2, 6-4.

The losses by Middleton and Osterloh ended the Americans’ hopes for a title at the tournament. Alcazar, who won the girls 16 title last year, could win her second Orange Bowl title today when she faces Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia.

Swimming

Ryan Mitchell set a world short-course record for the men’s 200- meter breaststroke at the Australian Championships in Melbourne in a special time trial granted by officials who earlier disqualified Mitchell for an illegal turn in the heats. Mitchell, 19, clocked 2:07.66 to break the previous record of 2:07.52, set by fellow Australian Phil Rogers in 1993.

Names in the News

Russell Christie, 34, the younger brother of Britain’s former world and Olympic sprint champion Linford Christie has been killed in a street fight, police in London said.

Lou Eisenstein, 83, who officiated NBA games for nearly 30 years and also worked 14 consecutive NIT finals, died at his home in New York of a heart attack.