L a t e s t  n e w s ..... Vonn stuns slalom specialists to win in Levi with Pieitiae Holmer second and Maria Riesch in third.... Grange wins mens race from Miller and Kostelic .... Chemmy Alcott suffers clean break of ankle in training in North America, expected to be out till New Year .... Lindsey Vonn injures left knee in training Super G in Copper Mountain, no lay off details announced

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

Paerson wins maiden Super G - The World Championship

In the middle of January Anja Paerson placed second in the World Cup Super G in Cortina d'Ampezzo.  The Swede was delighted with this as it was her first podium in a speed race.  Coming into the race Paerson hoped for a podium at best but as the favourites all started to fall out after the third gate she realised that she could make the top step.  Montillet, Meissnitzer and Dorfmeister all came in too straight to the tricky right hand turn and all missed the next gate. 

At the beginning of the season Paerson said she wanted a medal in the Super G and as the season has developed she "has stepped up more and more" (Paerson's own words).  Three to four years ago Paerson sat down with her coaches and planned her next few years.  Unlike her famous neighbour from her home town in Tarnaby, Sweden, Ingemar Stenmark, Paerson wanted to do more speed events.  "I always wanted to do all four events and even if it means that I do not win as many races in the Giant and Slalom I will continue with the four events," reported the new World Super G Champion. 

There was home cheer for the Italian fans as Lucia Recchia, equalling her career best result, took second and Julia Mancuso took third for the Americans.  With none of the pre race favourites challenging for the podium, questions were asked why this was?  Paerson summed it up when she explained that "the course was much faster and more aggressive than it looked when we were all inspecting this morning."  She then went on to say that "as a GS skier we are faster on our feet and maybe we had an advantage over the Downhill racers on this gate.  I am still surprised that that many went out on that gate, it is only three gates into the course so you are not really in the course, you don't have the feeling."

With Paerson having to choose a new serviceman last night as her own serviceman went down ill, Christoph Gruber's serviceman stepped in.  "This just goes to show that we all work together at Salomon!" Paerson happily exclaimed.  With a new serviceman and having sensed that the aggressive snow and course conditions would require changes to her boots, the young Swede had a relatively new set up for the race.  "I changed my canting by one degree to lesson the aggressiveness of my knees," explained Paerson.

For the young Mancuso, it was a long wait for the end.  Having taken the lead from Nadia Fanchini, she at first felt happy that she would make the top 6 and thus make the awards ceremony and then by the time Goetschl left the start she knew that she was close to making the podium.  "Kirsten Clark had to talk me through the last runner as I was too nervous," laughed the Californian with Italian heritage.  "This medal takes the pressure off me for the rest of the Championships," declared Mancuso who will not do the Downhill but concentrate more on the Giant Slalom in which she has been skiing excellently recently and feels that she could spring another surprise.

With the three medal winners all claiming to have made small mistakes, the race was won by the racers making the fewest mistakes.  With Paerson leading at each split, the rest needed to ski perfectly to upset the placings on the podium, something none of the pre race favourites were able to do.

For Chemmy Alcott this was not a race that she will want to remember for long.  Ten days after Cortina was the first time that she was able to put boots on and thus ski.  Two days ago was the first time on snow but with the injury subsiding, had it not been the World Championships, Alcott would have still been at home resting.  "These races only come around every two years so it was important that she raced," explained Snowsport GB Performance Director Mark Tilston after the race.  "Chemmy skied as well as could be hoped for given the fact that she has had injury problems for the last eight months," he continued, "Mentally she is good but a bit frustrated.  It is not easy but she is holding up."  As for the injury to her foot it is starting to heal and whilst it is going in the right direction, these Championships came just too early for her to really give her best. 

Chemmy explained that after so long off injured her timing was still off but that bits of the run were "OK".  Chemmy went to say: "I got pretty lucky with the top girls dropping out but that is the best that I have done in four World Championships.  My run was constantly pretty average as normally I have one fast split."  Asked whether she had made any major mistakes, Chemmy smiled and said that she "had got a bit back and had tried to pull off some Bode (Miller) like turns!  I guess I will have to work on those," she added!

Chemmy's run was solid but not spectacular.  Whilst her outside ski took a solid line through most of the turns, her inside ski was not as strong as it could have been and slid round many turns losing her time.  Finishing in 22nd place, ahead of Renate Goetschl, who finished one place behind her, it was the same as with Finlay Mickel yesterday when a saving of a tenth here and there could have seen her rise up the results significantly.  According to Tilston, there have been more positives for both racers than negatives out of the two races.

Training for the downhill starts on Monday for the men in Bormio and the Women in Santa Catarina.