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St. Moritz, Switzerland — January 31, 2003
A remarkable World Cup season, especially on the Men's side, reaches its climax over the next 15 days in beautiful St. Moritz, Switzerland, site of the 2003 FIS World Ski Championships. In all, 14 events will be decided among the men's and women's circuits, with the overall points champion likely determined by the outcomes.
Questions abound. On the women's side, will Anna Paerson continue her hot streak? She's won three races in a row, and is even taking some headlines away from the Croatian Sensation, Janica Kostelic, who has turned most of this race season into her own personal playground. Kostelic's points lead has been considered insurmountable, but Paerson's run at least has her within shouting distance of the top.
But the real action will be on the Men's courses. The incomparable Hermann Maier put a cherry on top of his comeback sundae earlier this week with a victory in the Super-G at Kitzbuehel. After a year and a half of recovery from a motorcycle accident that nearly cost him his life, it took Maier exactly five races to reach the winner's step on the podium for the 42nd time in his World Cup career.
Maier's performance earned him a spot on Austria's team for the Worlds. Exactly how much of a threat he will be remains to be seen, but his re-emergence has raised interest for the sport overall at a time when it dearly needs it, and yet taken interest away from his teammate and points leader Stephan Eberharter. All Eberharter has done so far this season is win 7 races overall, including 5 of the 8 downhills in which he's competed. Which of the Austrian uber-racers will earn the press attention at St. Moritz? Or will another of the many talented team members step up to steal the spotlight?
And what of U.S. team's Bode Miller? The audacious 25 year-old American has stepped up his game this year across all events. Previously known only for his work in technical races, Miller has become a consistent top-10 force in speed events. His versatility and daring has earned competitor's respect, and many believe Miller will become the next dominant skier on the World Cup circuit.
Could this be the year? Miller trails Eberharter by a scant 8 points (Men's Point Standings), and with more technical races on the remaining schedule, may have an edge as the season winds down. If Miller continues improving, Eberharter may need to drop down and ski slalom as he did last week at Kitzbuehel. It was a clear concession to Miller's rise in the rankings. At any rate, it will all make for a great competition, and MountainZone.com will be there every step of the way with full coverage. Here's the race schedule:
— Tim O'Mara, MountainZone.com correspondent |
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