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Hoelzl ends German wait with gold

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-02-14 08:14

VAL D'ISERE, France: Kathrin Hoelzl ended Germany's long wait for a gold medal by taming the daunting Bellevarde piste to win the women's giant slalom at the Alpine skiing world championships on Thursday.

Hoelzl, in fourth after the first run, held her nerve on a deteriorated piste in the second run to clock a combined winning time of two minutes 03.49 seconds to become her country's first world champion since Martina Ertl's combined title in 2001.

"This is crazy," the 24-year-old Hoelzl said after making her first major win a world title. "I attacked as much as I could and I knew when I reached the finish that it would be good enough for a podium."

Slovenia's Tina Maze, in 16th place after the first run, staged a remarkable comeback with the fastest time in the second run for the silver medal, a slim 0.09 second back.

"I was furious after the first run because I had mist on my goggles and couldn't see a thing," said Maze. "I had nothing to lose in that second leg and I just went for it."

Finland's Tanja Poutiainen completed the podium, 0.54 second behind the winner, in the first women's event of the championships staged on the steep, icy Bellevarde course.

"And yet another podium," Poutiainen said after winning her fourth medal at major championships. "It was tough because the course was really damaged when I went down."

Agencies

(China Daily 02/14/2009 page12)