VEYSONNAZ, Switzerland, 11 January 2004 — Experience paid off for Austrian Renate Goetschl when she won the women’s Alpine ski World Cup downhill race on the Piste de l’Ours yesterday.

The 1999 world champion collected the 16th downhill win of her career, pushing compatriot Michaela Dorfmeister and German Hilde Gerg into joint second place by 0.49 seconds.

It was Goetschl’s second downhill victory in succession after her pre-Christmas win in St. Moritz and put her second behind new leader Gerg in the downhill World Cup.

“It is again a great day for me,” said Goetschl. “I am delighted. The run was a little bit easier in training, not so fast. I didn’t ski too hard and that was the successful thing today.”

Americans filled the next two places with Kirsten Clark fourth, 0.59 seconds behind Goetschl’s time of one minute 38.58 seconds, and Caroline Lalive fifth.

The race was interrupted for repairs to the course after Switzerland’s Martina Schild and Frenchwoman Melanie Suchet missed the same gate on a tricky turn. Both were allowed to restart but finished outside the top 10.

Gerg’s joint second place, which gave her 80 points, put her at the top of the overall downhill cup standings as former leader Montillet, of France, could finish only 14th.

Gerg has not won a race since a downhill in Lake Louise, Canada, in December 2002. She now leads second-placed Goetschl by five points after finishing in the top five in all four races so far.

“Second place is always good but maybe I should win some races now,” she joked.

Third-placed Dorfmeister said she was more concerned with success in the super-G than the downhill this year but added: “When you are on the podium you have to be happy. It is a good season for me. The victory is coming.” World Cup overall leader Anja Paerson of Sweden, competing in only her second downhill, finished out of the points, 2.58 seconds behind Goetschl.

She said she had used the run as practice for today’s super-G and added: “It is just experience and getting to know the slope for tomorrow, getting the feeling for the speed and getting comfortable.”

Eberharter Rediscovers Winning Ways

In Chamonix, France, defending overall World Cup champion Stephan Eberharter rediscovered his winning touch when he collected his first victory of the season in a downhill yesterday.

The Austrian has taken home the World Cup overall trophy for the last two years but had not won a race since March of last year. The 34-year-old Eberharter started with bib number one and set such a blistering pace with his time of one minute 59.08 seconds that none of the following racers could match him.

Norwegian Lasse Kjus gave himself a chance of victory in the weekend’s combined events, which will add the downhill times to today’s slalom results here, with second place, 0.31 seconds behind Eberharter.

World downhill champion Michael Walchhofer was third, 0.75 behind. He was followed by five fellow Austrians with Swiss Bruno Kernen having to settle for ninth place — still his team’s best downhill result this season.

Eberharter, who has spent the last two months shaking off recurring bouts of influenza, has now won on every World Cup downhill course except Austria’s St. Anton in 15 years on the circuit.

He said he had been glad to start first on a Kandahar course softened by warm weather and early-morning rain.

Kjus said his start number of 19 had been a disadvantage in the conditions but he was pleased to be runner-up.

“It would have been difficult to go much faster but top three is excellent for me,” said Kjus, who turns 33 on Wednesday.

Kjus, the 1999 overall cup champion, had not been on a downhill podium since December 2001. As a former Olympic and world combined champion, he will be one of the favorites for the weekend’s combined event.

American Bode Miller, who pipped Kjus to last year’s world championship combined title, will also be out for victory today though he finished out of yesterday’s downhill points in 34th place.

Walchhofer also has high hopes for the combined event, after winning in Kitzbuehel last season.

Former champion Hermann Maier held on to his overall cup lead, 17 points ahead of Kjus, after almost crashing on a jump and finishing 13th.

The Austrian’s start number of 32 was a handicap as the course began to break up. Huge crowds turned out yesterday in the hope of seeing local favourite Antoine Deneriaz repeat his Val Gardena victory of last month. But the Frenchman finished only joint 10th with Swiss Didier Cuche.