Believe it or not, Hermann Maier has reached a new dimension. He has been known as a hard worker, a fearless champion, and as the indestructible "Herminator," who believes he can fly like a bird. And now he is also a tireless winner who keeps reaching new goals.

At Val d'Isére, he joined the ranks of some all-time ski legends by dominating both a downhill and a giant slalom — a speed and a technical event — in the same weekend.

"I'm so proud to have won these two classical races in two days. I want to mark my era."

After two powerful and impressive runs, he beat by over a second his closest rival, teammate Heinz Schilchegger, while another Austrian, Andreas Schifferer, was 3rd. It's also the first time that the same team has taken all three places on the podium in a competition at Val d'Isére.

Maier's latest achievements are now entered in the annals of the recent history of modern ski racing. One would have to take a deep look into the archives of ski racing, going back to the days of Jean-Claude "King" Killy, the three-time Olympic champion from France, to find a similar performance.

None of Killy's successors, even top-class, all-around skiers, such as Switzerland's Pirmin Zurbriggen, or Marc Girardelli from Luxembourg, who clinched a total of nine Overall World Cup titles from 1985 to 1993, and accumulated victories in all disciplines, achieved this triumph in Val d'Isere.

To win these these two different events over the same weekend is almost as hard as capturing the tennis French Open at Roland Garros on the clay surface and then winning two weeks of grass hopping at Wimbledon.

Hermann's performance is especially impressive since he has had almost no time to practice GS during the past month. At the same time, most of the other favorites, such as Switzlerand's Michael von Gruenigen, 4th here, or Schilchegger, only train in the technical events (GS and slalom).

Hermann, who wants to leave a unique legacy for modern ski racing, had several good reasons to give his best for this 33rd career victory and the show he produced at the finish line after his victorious second run proved it.

In December 1997, when he was still a rising star, Hermann already dominated this competition and finished ahead of then World Champion von Gruenigen. Unfortunately, Maier forgot that he couldn't take off his skis before a certain area, and when he showed his skis to the public before crossing the red line, he was disqualified by the race jury.

He never accepted that verdict and still claims that win. So it was incredible to see him apparently repeat his error after ending this race. He once again stopped short before the red line and acted as if he would open the bindings of his right ski. The crowd was shocked and shouted at him to stop. Then he looked surprised at them, stopped, and moved over the line. He finally took off his right ski, bent down on his knees, and kissed the snow exactly on the red line. He had a huge smile on his face as he approached the exit gate to receive the congratulations of his colleagues.

"Oh, I was so moved that I forgot again," he told the press afterwards. "This victory meant so much to me that I did not realized what I was doing. I'm so proud to have won these two classical races in two days. I want to mark my era."

Sure he will - but his former roommate Andreas Schifferer could only laugh at his explanations. "I saw him training with his inline skates yesterday and stopping just few inches before a line that he has drawn on the ground," Schifferer said. "He has planned everything."

This competition was also marked by the strong results of the US team which has two skiers in the top-10: Bode Miller was 6th, and Erik Schloppy 9th, both confirming their strong performances from Park City. Daron Rahlves obtained a promising 17th place, reinforcing his technical progress. This result should boost his confidence after some disappointing results in the speed events. Norway's Lasse Kjus rejoined the tour after a short break at home, but he only reached 10th. Next week he'll no doubt aim for beating his old rival, Maier.

Next week, the World Cup returns to Val d'Isére after the cancellation of races in Val Gardena and Alta Badia due to lack of snow.

— Manuèle Lang, World Cup Correspondent

Email this story to a friend