Beaver Creak SG M

It may have taken eight races before an Austrian won a race this season but 26 year old Stefan Goergl took advantage of an early start number to win his first world cup race. After heavy snow had caused the cancellation of the second training for the downhill, the cold but fresh conditions meant that early starters would have the best of the conditions. This, the first of four races being held down the Birds of Prey course, came on the back of Bode Miller becoming the first racer in ski racing history to win the first three races in different disciplines.

Goergl, from Kappenberg, had a previous best of 7th in Super G from Garmisch last season, and his 17th in Lake Louise certainly did not show form that would bring him (and Austria) a win. Goergl chased the time of his young compatriot, Mario Scheiber, who had started 3. Scheiber attacked from the outset and destroied the time that had been set by German Florian Eckert. With Goergl coming down at 11, his times looked good and with Miller starting just after the TV break after number 15, the American starting at 18 was looking good for a fourth win of the season. It was not to be as he made a mistake coming through the section known as Pumphouse.

Due to the fresh snow and freezing conditions, the snow broke up and many of the top racers had to deal with every racers nightmare: death cookies! While the early racers could carve smooth turns through the fast sweeping turns, later racers had a rough ride down the course and had their work cut out to keep the speed.

This first win for the Austrians was coupled with 5 Austians making the top ten: Maier taking eighth and Raich ten helped out with Scheiber in 3rd and Fritz Strobl coming back after his huge crash in training at Lake Louise to take 6th. Strobl had been sidelined by his doctor for five days.

Through the week the heat had been on Atomic with stories abounding that Miller was being given preferential treatment as he was seen as the best chance of winning the overall. Goergl was one of the top Austrian racers that became disillusioned with the pursuit of top foreign stars. With his mentor, Hans Knauss also swapping to Fischer, Goergl and Knauss share the same serviceman, Hans Knauss's elder brother.

For Finlay Mickel the day was not the best and he will be looking to conserve his energy for the second downhill in the morning. Bad weather in Lake Louise meant that Chemmy Alcott was unable to better her times from the second training run. The cancellation means that Alcott will start out of the first 30 racers for tomorrows opening women's Downhill. Alain and Noel Baxter move into Beaver Creak tomorrow having been training in Loveland, both race in the Slalom on Sunday before heading back to Europe for the Sestriere slalom on December 13.