L a t e s t  n e w s ..... Heel wins Super G in Val Gardena with Defago and Jaerbyn on the podium ... Paerson wins Super combined from Hosp and Suter ... Walchhofer retains King of the Hill in Downhill, Miller 2 and Osborne Paradis 3 ... Gut wins Super G in St Moritz from Suter and Fanchini

'The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams' (Eleanor Roosevelt).

Run in this format for the first time, the one run slalom followed by a shortened run down the Downhill course, proved to be a success with racers and spectators alike.  With perfect conditions the new format draw a fantastic crowd of 15,000 to watch.  With the one run Slalom happening first in the morning and then the downhill taking place later with the racers in reverse order, this meant that the racers and spectators alike could keep abreast of who was leading.  Winner of the event, Benni Raich from Austria: "It was important to have the two disciplines in one day.  It's great for us and for the public too."

The slalom was notable for the demise of Bode Miller.  The American, who holds a healthy lead in the Overall over Benni Raich, came out in the slalom.  With Sylvan Zurbriggan, the Swiss hope also struggling in the slalom, Raich was able to catch up a substantial amount of points on the American.  Raich took a healthy lead from the Slalom into the downhill and although he only placed 11th in the downhill, it was enough for him to take 100 points for winning.  "It was a great day, a tough day!" reflected a tired Raich.  Raich has decided not to race the downhill on Saturday so as to conserve energy for the Slalom on Sunday.  He will go head to head with the American as the race for the overall reaches an exciting stage in the season.

With the event taking place on his birthday, Norwegian Lasse Kjus added to Raich's comments that "this should be the future."  Swiss morale was raised by Didier Defago's third place: "This is the result of all the hard work.  I slept well after the mishap in Adelboden. I learnt more than if I had won.  Maybe this first podium of the season is a direct result of rebounding after Adelboden."

No British racers took part with Finlay Mickel conserving energy before the Downhill on Saturday.  Alain and Noel have competed in Downhill in the past (mainly at the British Championships) but are preparing for the Slalom on Sunday.

Wengen extra pieces