VAL GARDENA, Italy, 21 December 2003 — Frenchman Antoine Deneriaz spoiled Austria’s party when he won the Val Gardena World Cup downhill race for the second consecutive year yesterday.

Hans Knauss had looked set to win an incident-packed race, with a string of Austrian teammates behind him, until Deneriaz tore down the course with bib number 30 to wipe nearly a second off Knauss’ time.

World champion Michael Walchhofer, starting 31st, then skied into second place, 0.89 seconds behind Deneriaz’s time of one minute 52.99 seconds, to ensure the Austrians held on to five of the top six places. “This is a huge win, even bigger than last year’s. It’s just incredible,” said a delighted Deneriaz.

Walchhofer’s second place ensured that he retained his lead in the downhill standings ahead of compatriot Maier who finished fifth.

Knauss said Deneriaz was a worthy winner and a serious threat in the championship.

Fritz Strobl finished fourth with defending World Cup overall champion Eberharter in sixth place.

American Daron Rahlves, winner in the downhill at Beaver Creek two weeks ago, made a blistering start to his race but lost time on the bottom half and had to settle for joint seventh place with Austrian Klaus Kroell. Germany’s Max Rauffer and Norway’s Aksel Lund Svindal also failed to complete the Saslong course.

Renate Goetschl Wins, Paerson Disqualified

In St. Moritz, Switzerland, Austrian Renate Goetschl won her second World Cup race in two weeks yesterday when Anja Paerson’s downhill debut ended in disqualification.

World Cup overall leader Paerson, a technical specialist, had been 0.03 seconds faster than Goetschl’s time at the final intermediate checkpoint but then lost control and almost fell.

Though the Swede recovered, she careered through the middle of the twin poles marking one side of the final gate on the Corviglia course and was disqualified.

Goetschl won with a time of one minute 39.78 seconds to secure her first downhill win of the season and take her number of overall victories to 29. She finished 0.17 seconds ahead of German Hilde Gerg.

German teenager Maria Riesch was third, just 0.02 seconds behind Gerg.

Austrian Christine Sponring was taken off the hill on a stretcher after skidding out of control and crashing into the safety netting.

She suffered a dislocated shoulder, which Austrian team doctor Helmut Eggl manipulated back into place at the side of the course, and damaged all the ligaments in her left knee. Olympic champion Carole Montillet finished a disappointing seventh after winning the season’s previous two downhills. The Frenchwoman held on to the downhill World Cup lead though Gerg closed the gap to 31 points.

Riesch, whose only previous podium place came in a combined event at Lenzerheide, Switzerland, a year ago, was delighted with her third place, which puts her fifth in the overall downhill cup standings.