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Kostelic Wins 3rd Championship Gold in Combined
Santa Caterina, Italy — February 3, 2005

Lindsey Kildow (Vail, CO), looking to re-energize her confidence after a disappointing first race, was a medals near-miss with fourth Friday night in combined after surviving an acrobatic finish in the first run of slalom. Olympic and world champion Janica Kostelic of Croatia won her third consecutive big-championships gold.

Kostelic, who led the downhill portion on the Deborah Compagnoni course in the morning, held on throughout the day and went on to victory by nearly a second and a half in 2:53.70. After the DH run and two slalom runs, Anja Paerson of Sweden collected her second medal of the Championships, taking silver in 2:55.15 with Austrian Marlies Schild third (2:56.40).

Kildow, who tied Renate Goetschl of Austria for third place in the DH, finished with a time of 2:56.60. It was a sharp about-face for the 20-year-old after finishing a disappointed ninth Sunday in the super G after some tentative skiing.

While Kildow has been the emerging star of the speed circuit this season with a win and five other top-3s, the medalist all have won World Cup slaloms this winter. Kildow figured she lost "three or four tenths" at the end of her first run in SL when her skis were inside a gate at the bottom of the hill but her body was headed the other way; she went down and hurled herself across the finish to stay in third place with one run remaining...and Schild .53 back of her.

"Second run," Kildow said, "I thought I gave it 120 percent, and I was feeling I couldn't have gone any faster. Maybe it was meant to be and it's supposed to give me motivation for Sunday [DH]; I don't know...

"If you look at it overall compared to past races, I always say it's a good result but given that it's World Championships and, really, medals only count, it's pretty disappointing - especially when I'm only two-tenths out. It's three runs and two-tenths is nothing. Maybe if I'd finished the first run and not fallen on my butt, or maybe if I gave it a little harder in the downhill. You always look back and question yourself. I'm trying to be optimistic."

She said soft snow at the top of the DH course "definitely slowed me down. I'll definitely look for places I could fix for Sunday...for sure, things I can improve on...

"I really would've liked to be closer to Anja and Janica. But I thought it's definitely do-able [to stay on the podium] and I just have to give it my all," Kildow said, "and second run I knew Schild was right on my tail, and she's been skiing so well in slalom, so there really wasn't any option but to go as fast as I could. It's disappointing, but...

"I'm trying to stay positive and look forward to Sunday."
"Lindsey did a great job...a great job," said U.S. Women's Head Coach Patrick Riml. "She had that wild finish in her first run which she crashed but threw herself across the finish, and then she came back on the second run, did well at the top and lost a little time at the bottom. This has to be good for her, though. I'm really proud of the way she pulled things together and attacked every run."

Julia Mancuso (Olympic Valley, CA) was ninth in 2:57.62 with Resi Stiegler (Jackson Hole, WY) hiking a half-dozen gates on her final run after being bounced off-course, and finishing a distant 21st, but delighting the crowd as she hit the finish and did a joyful, hips-swaying dance in which she looked more like someone who had medaled rather than finished more than a half-minute back. Caroline Lalive (Steamboat Springs, CO) missed a gate on her final run of slalom.

2005 WORLD ALPINE SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS
Santa Caterina, ITA - Feb. 4, 2005
Women's Combined (1 run DH, 2 runs SL)

1. Janica Kostelic, Croatia, 2:53.70
2. Anja Paerson, Sweden, 2:55.15
3. Marlies Schild, Austria, 2:56.40
4. Lindsey Kildow, Vail, Colo., 2:56.60
5. Sarka Zahrobska, Czech Republic, 2:56.89

9. Julia Mancuso, Olympic Valley, Calif., 2:57.62
21. Resi Stiegler, Jackson Hole, Wyo., 3:30.63

DNF (SL-2):
Caroline Lalive, Steamboat Springs, Colo.


Courtesy of US Ski Team