American men set for European show

By Patrick Vignal

PARIS (Reuters) – After shining on home snow, the U.S.
men’s ski team want to make Europe take notice from this
weekend in Val d’Isere.

The showcase sport of the winter Olympics returns to the
European slopes for the first time since the opening giant
slalom in October in Soelden, Austria.

The American skiers underlined their brilliant form in the
Canadian and U.S. Rockies and, with the February Games in Turin
just around the corner, will to want to dent further Austria’s
traditional supremacy.

They have two opportunities in the picturesque French Alps
resort with a downhill on Saturday and a super-combined event
on Sunday.

Snow and fog forced the cancellation of Thursday’s opening
downhill training run but the organizers hoped for clear skies
from Friday.

The American men, who love the Olympics arguably more than
anyone else, have won two races in the early stages of the
season courtesy of Daron Rahlves and Bode Miller and have
featured on the podium seven times.

“Hopefully, it sends a good message to everybody else and
gets them thinking about the U.S. team a little more,” Miller
said of the Americans’ impressive start to the season.

Miller, the overall World Cup champion, looked sluggish at
first but stepped up a gear with his first win of the season in
a giant slalom last weekend in Beaver Creek, Colorado. He
placed second in a downhill there won by Rahlves.

MILLER WARNING

“We’re just going to keep going out and doing the same
thing we’ve done that past couple of races, just keep fighting
and charging,” Miller warned before heading for Europe.

Rahlves and Miller lie second and third respectively in the
overall standings, topped by Norwegian newcomer Aksel Lund
Svindal who took his first World Cup win in last month’s
opening super-G in Lake Louise, Canada.

Tipped as a future overall World Cup champion, the
22-year-old Svindal could soon take over from Kjetil Andre
Aamodt and Lasse Kjus to keep Norway among the Alpine elite.

Aamodt and Kjus are still around and looking forward to
morale-boosting performances before trying to extend their
impressive medal collections at the Olympics.

“I know I have a lot to learn from them,” Svindal said of
the prolific Norwegian pair.

“Sad but true, they will not be around much longer so I am
sticking around trying to pick up as much as I can before they
are gone.”

Austria, the dominant force in men’s skiing for years, turn
to Hermann Maier, winner in Soelden, and Hannes Reichelt, who
claimed his first World Cup Super-G in Beaver Creek.

No longer the awesome competitor he once was, Maier is
still chasing his first podium finish of the season in a speed
event.