Greber Leads Austrian Sweep in Downhill

Christian Greber won a World Cup ski race for the first time, leading a 1-2-3 Austrian sweep Friday in the first of consecutive downhills at Bormio, Italy.

Greber’s previous best finish in a World Cup race had been third in Bormio last year. He has been placed on the national team because Hermann Maier and Hannes Trinkl are sidelined.

Greber’s cousin, Berndt Greber, a world champion in fresh snow skiing, was killed by a snowslide in Austria on Thursday. Team officials said Christian Greber was told about the death after Friday’s race.

World super-G champion Daron Rahlves of the United States was sixth, his best downhill result this season.

Greber was timed on the bumpy Stelvio course in 1 minute 54.33 seconds, edging Fritz Strobl by .46 of a second. World Cup leader Stephan Eberharter placed third, .68 of a second behind, stretching his lead in the overall standings.

Eberharter has 640 points after 14 races, 220 points ahead of Bode Miller of the United States. Didier Cuche of Switzerland is third with 383.

Miller, a specialist in gate events, did not compete in Bormio. He will race in a giant slalom and slalom at Adelboden, Switzerland, on Jan. 5-6.

Greber’s win was the fifth consecutive for Austria in World Cup downhills at Bormio since 1997. The Austrians had five skiers in the top 14.

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Switzerland’s Lillian Kummer recorded her first World Cup victory, winning a women’s giant slalom at Lienz, Austria, in a race in which star teammate Sonja Nef failed to finish.

“I surprised myself,” said Kummer, who skied an excellent second run and had a combined time of 2 minutes 12.06 seconds.

Karen Putzer of Italy was second in 2:12.09 and Ylva Nowen and Anja Paerson, both of Sweden, tied for third in 2:12.14.

The top Americans were Kirsten Clark (2:13.23) in 17th place and Sarah Schleper (2:13.44) in 18th. Nef, the leader in the giant slalom standings, did not even make it to the second leg.

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Brian McDonald won the opening race of the U.S. skeleton team’s Olympic trials at Park City, Utah, and defending World Cup champion Lincoln DeWitt struggled again.

In the women’s race, upstart Tristan Gale beat veterans Lea Ann Parsley and Tricia Stumpf for the two-run victory in 1 minute 41.93 seconds.

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Brian Shimer closed in on a fifth Winter Games appearance by finishing second in Friday’s race at the U.S. Bobsled Federation Olympic trials at Park City, Utah.

Todd Hays, who already qualified for the Feb. 8-24 Olympics by leading the overall World Cup standings, won the four-man race in a combined time of 1 minute, 34.40 seconds.

Shimer, who turns 40 in April, combined two respectable starts with stellar driving down the 1,335-meter track at the Utah Olympic Park to finish in 1:34.53.

Shimer will qualify for the Salt Lake City Games unless he drives poorly today in the final race of the four-man trials.

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Irina Slutskaya won the Russian national figure skating title at Moscow, beating Maria Butyrskaya with a subdued but solid performance.

In pairs, Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze led after a short program that combined precision and romance.

Slutskaya, usually speedy and sparkling on the ice, was low key in the free skating. She wore dark maroon and skated to music with a moderate tempo.

While that worked against her strengths, her technique was unobjectionable. Her only drawback came when she stepped out on a triple flip. She earned 5.7s and 5.8s.

Miscellany

Slovenia’s Olympic committee has recommended that the government grant citizenship to Jamaican-born sprinter Merlene Ottey, an official said Friday.

Ottey has lived and trained in Slovenia for several years. Committee official Boris Mikuz told the Associated Press that his organization was asking for citizenship on her request.

Ottey, 41, is a former world champion in the 200 meters and has won nearly 30 Olympic and world championship medals.

Volvo Ocean Race yacht Assa Abloy of Sweden won the Sydney to Hobart race today, defeating defending champion Nicorette.

Assa Abloy, skippered by Englishman Neal McDonald, gained a decisive break in the early morning run west from Tasman Island. It turned into the Derwent River about two nautical miles ahead of Sweden’s Nicorette and, helped by a freshening breeze, held its lead to the finish.

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A convoy of about 400 cars, trucks and motorbikes roared across the start line for the opening leg of the Dakar Rally, a 5,850-mile trek through France, Spain and part of the Sahara desert.

The 17-day race started with an overnight stretch of 273 miles from Arras to Chateauroux in central France. The route travels through the outskirts of Paris, but won’t enter the capital.

Defending champion Jutta Kleinschmidt of Germany, the first woman to win the race, and two-time former champion Jean-Louis Schlesser of France are among the favorites in the car category.

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Kelly Askew scored the winning goal in a shootout as the Ice Dogs moved within three points of the Southern Division-leading San Diego Gulls after a 5-4 victory in a WCHL game at San Diego.

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Finland beat France, 8-0, and the Czech Republic defeated Belarus, 9-1, in the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships at Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic.

Finland (2-1-0) is in second place in Group B, trailing Canada (2-0-0).

Slovakia (2-0-0) leads Group A, with the United States and Sweden both at 1-0-1. The United States plays Belarus today and Slovenia on Sunday.

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Italy will play the United States, England and Australia in exhibition soccer matches before next year’s World Cup.

Italy faces the U.S. team in Catania, Sicily, on Feb. 27, travels to Leeds to play England on March 27, and plays Australia on April 17 at a site to be announced, the Italian Soccer Federation said.