Olympics: Kostelic misery as China aim for gold
(AFP)
Updated: 2006-02-15 20:38

Croatian snow queen Janica Kostelic became the latest Alpine skiing favourite to suffer a Winter Olympic jinx as China looked to break theirs by winning a first gold.

Janica Kostelic. [file]

Triple Olympic champion Kostelic saw her attempts at a five-gold sweep shattered when flu put her out of the women's downhill.

The event is one of five golds to be decided on Wednesday with China hoping to finally open their account in the women's 500m short-track final while Australia could also be celebrating in the men's freestyle moguls.

Kostelic had shared tears of joy when brother Ivica clinched a men's combined silver on Tuesday but even then the skier, who has endured a career full of injury and medical setbacks, was struggling with the star complaining of a high pulse rate.

"She will not start the downhill because, even though she is feeling better, the medical team doesn't want to risk anything," said a team spokesman on Wednesday.

"They want to rest her so she is well enough for the next four races."

Kostelic's withdrawal leaves the way clear for reigning World Cup champion Michaela Dorfmeister to lead an Austrian charge with compatriots Renate Gotschl and Alexandra Meissnitzer also tipped to medal.

But they will be wary of being too confident.

The Alps have sabotaged all the medal favourites so far with unheralded Frenchman Antoine Deneriaz winning the men's downhill and America's Ted Ligety, the combined.

China, still reeling from seeing Wang Manli and Ren Hui beaten to the gold by Russia's Svetlana Zhurova in the long-track 500m now pin their hopes on World Cup champion Wang Meng in the 500m short-track.

Wang Meng is hot favourite to keep the gold in Chinese hands following Yang Yang's breakthrough four years ago.

"I'm happy to be competing. I hope my country will win a gold medal but I don't care if it is me or somebody else," said the 20-year-old.

Canada begin the defence of the men's ice hockey gold against Italy with focus still very much on legendary player Wayne Gretzky, the squad's executive director.

Gretzky has insisted he has no link to an illegal gambling controversy that threatens to overshadow the team and believes he will be made a scapegoat should things go pear-shaped.

"If we don't win the gold I will probably get blamed. But then I have been blamed for things all my life," said Gretzky.

Australian freestyle skier Dale Begg-Smith, a multi-millionaire internet entrepreneur, is favourite to win the men's moguls while Austria, Finland, Germany appear certain of a medal in the Nordic Combined team competition after illness forced the world champions, Norway, out of the event.

The final gold of the day will be decided in the men's doubles luge with teams hoping to avoid the heavy crashes that marred the women's competition at the fearsome Cesana Pariol track.

Reigning world and Olympic champions Patric Leitner and Alexander Resch of Germany start as comfortable favourites.