Eberharter Beats Rahlves This Time

Stephan Eberharter won one of the most prestigious downhills on the World Cup circuit Saturday, defeating Daron Rahlves at Kitzbuehel, Austria, and restoring a measure of pride to the Austrian team.

Eberharter completed the Streif course on Hahnenkamm mountain in 1 minute 55.48 seconds. He was 1.21 seconds faster than Rahlves, the American who won the event last year.

“It was tougher than ever today,” Eberharter said. “I heard Daron’s times and thought ‘Oh, my God.’ I knew I had to attack like crazy.”

Last year, the Austrians did not finish among the top three before their home fans. This time, Eberharter’s margin of victory was the fourth largest for a downhill in Kitzbuehel.

Rahlves, who won Friday’s super-giant slalom, was timed in 1:56.69.

“Steph was amazing,” said Rahlves, of Sugar Bowl, Calif. “He was so fast and I’m happy for him. I have no idea how he was that fast. Probably he found a shortcut.”

Rahlves’ downhill victory in Kitzbuehel last year was criticized by Austrian star Hermann Maier because it came on a shortened course.

Lasse Kjus leads the overall standings with 764 points, followed by Maier (714) and Benjamin Raich (698).

Ambrosi Hoffmann was a surprising third in 1:56.78, recording Switzerland’s first top-three finish this season.

Canada’s Jeff Hume crashed and sustained a bruised chest and concussion. He was flown to a hospital in St. Johann, and his coaches said he will skip next week’s races in Germany.

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World champion Anja Paerson won a World Cup giant slalom at Maribor, Slovenia, and regained first place in the overall World Cup standings.

Paerson, second after the first leg, was timed in a combined 2 minutes 18.27 seconds -- 0.98 of a second ahead of Michaela Dorfmeister. Maria Jose Contreras matched her best career result by finishing third, 1.23 seconds behind.

Kirsten Clark of Raymond, Maine, was the top U.S. skier, finishing 18th in 2:21.50. Libby Ludlow of Bellevue, Wash., was 19th in 2:21.51.

Paerson leads the overall standings with 898 points. She overtook Renate Goetschl (893), who finished 11th. She also leads the giant slalom standings (330), followed by Nicole Hosp (260), who crashed.

College Football

North Carolina State’s Philip Rivers passed for 213 yards and directed all the South’s scoring drives in a 28-10 victory over the North in the Senior Bowl at Mobile, Ala.

Rivers completed 12 of 19 passes, including touchdowns to Arkansas’ Cedric Cobbs and Virginia Tech’s Ernest Wilford in the first quarter, to earn most-valuable-player honors.

Players from Rose Bowl opponents USC and Michigan teamed up for the North touchdown when the Trojans’ Keary Colbert caught a 35-yard pass from John Navarre.

Golf

Doug Tewell shot a seven-under-par 65 to take a two-stroke lead into the final round of the MasterCard Championship at Kaupulehu-Kona, Hawaii.

Tewell, bogey-free in both rounds, had five of his seven birdies on the back nine to finish with a tournament-record 15-under 129. Dave Eichelberger, who also shot a 65, is second at 131.

Soccer

Swedish soccer star Hanna Ljungberg tore knee ligaments in training and faces a six-month layoff that could jeopardize her status for the Athens Olympics, officials said.

Ljungberg, who led Sweden to the Women’s World Cup final at the Home Depot Center in Carson last year and was a finalist for FIFA’s world player of the year, injured her right knee during training Friday with UIK, her club team in Umea.

Passings

Former Brazilian soccer star Leonidas da Silva, credited with inventing the bicycle kick, died Saturday in Sao Paulo from complications of Alzheimer’s disease, his doctors said. He was 90.