Swiss Didier Cuche scored an important super G victory Thursday in the FIS World Cup finals in Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, extending his lead over Bode Miller (Franconia, NH) in the battle for third in the overall World Cup standings with two races remaining. Daron Rahlves (Sugar Bowl, CA) was the top American, finishing 16th.

Cuche started 5th and posted the fastest time in 1:25.53. Austrian Fritz Strobl was 2nd, .35 seconds back, and Italian Alessandro Fattori 3rd. The men started at 9:30 a.m. in temperatures over 40 degrees.

Austrian Stephan Eberharter clinched his third World Cup title finishing 4th with a 470-426 margin over Cuche. Eberharter took the downhill title, which concluded Wednesday, and has already clinched the overall title.

It was a tough day for the Americans. Rahlves, the world super G champion, starting 11th, had trouble with his line all the way down with a series of mistakes costing him time. He finished 16th, 2.42 seconds behind Cuche, just outside of the top-15 in World Cup points. Rahlves finished the season ranked 12th in the super G World Cup.

"It was really no shock," said a very disappointed Rahlves, who never found his groove this season. His best finish was a 4th in the Kitzbuehl super G.

Miller, meanwhile, could do little to stem the tide in his battle with Cuche for third in the World Cup overall. Cuche came into the race with a 52-point margin over Miller, but extended that to 152 with his win today. Miller is likely to gain ground on Cuche in Saturday's slalom, leaving it to Sunday's giant slalom to determine the spot. Cuche is actually in a battle for the GS title, presently second behind Frederic Covili of France.

Miller, skiing in only his second super G of the season, had "some good turns and some bad turns."

Saturday's slalom is clearly Miller's weekend focal point. Presently he is 31 points behind Croatian Ivica Kostelic. A win by Miller and third or lower for Kostelic will give the American the title.

— Courtesy US Ski Team