Women's super-G: Austria revels in gold as Vonn takes bronze
| Whistler, British Columbia
Andrea Fischbacher of Austria put down a flaming run to win the Olympic super-G today, reviving the lagging spirits of a nation that watches skiing the way Americans watch the Super Bowl.
Besting a gutsy run by Tina Maze of Slovenia and a strong performance by gold-medal favorite Lindsey Vonn, Fischbacher doused the flames of fury back home generated by disappointing performances from the men鈥檚 squad.
With 14 medals at the 2006 Games, Austria came into these Olympics as a heavy favorite 鈥� albeit one strongly rivaled by a resurgent Swiss team. But it has been US skiers who have matched the brilliance of the sun here, winning roughly half the medals so far. And that made a country whose pride rides on its racers鈥� skis very upset.
鈥淭here is so much pressure in Austria. Nobody cared when the men鈥檚 luge doubles won the country鈥檚 first gold,鈥� says Tino Teller, an Austrian journalist covering alpine skiing here. 鈥淓verybody back home was asking, 鈥榃hen will be the first gold in alpine? The whole nation was sitting in front of the TV at 5, 6, 7 p.m., waiting.鈥�
Fischbacher knew that when she stepped into the gate today.
鈥淭he men yesterday had a really bad day,鈥� said the Austrian, who missed bronze in the downhill by only 0.03 seconds. 鈥淓verybody was looking a little bit to us to make it better."
And did she ever. Though trailing Vonn on the tricky top section of the course, she floored it through the middle section to finish 0.74 seconds ahead of the US favorite.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very important for the spirit of the whole team,鈥� says Herbert Mandl, head coach for the women鈥檚 team. 鈥淔or sure the men suffered yesterday, and we suffered with them."
Vonn: I'll cherish bronze and gold equally
After the last racer came down, a smiling Vonn stepped onto the podium waving to a crowd full of American flags 鈥� celebrating her second medal this week after overcoming a shin injury that cast a shadow over America鈥檚 most vaunted athlete coming into these Games.
She laid down a dominant run at the top of the course, skiing very well through a turn that gave many racers 鈥� including teammate Julia Mancuso, who finished 9th 鈥� serious trouble. But after that, she said, she backed off.
鈥淚 think I just stopped charging 鈥� that was my only mistake 鈥� just not attacking as much as I could have and should have,鈥� she said, adding that her bronze was still an Olympic medal 鈥� and joking that it was almost the same color as the gold she won in downhill. 鈥淭hey鈥檒l be hanging up next to my bed and I will cherish both of those medals equally.鈥�
鈥淎 medal is a medal,鈥� agreed US women鈥檚 head coach Jim Tracy, who said no one was disappointed with bronze. But, noting that Vonn was perhaps a little conservative in the lower portion of the course, he commended the aggressiveness o f Maze and Fischbacher.
Hermannators and Pac-Man
鈥淚n the Olympics it鈥檚 all about putting it all on the line. That was classic today of Fischbacher 鈥� she was either going to win, or go out,鈥� he said. 鈥淎ndrea is a risk-taker. She doesn鈥檛 go for second-best.鈥�
Like her second cousin Hermann Maier, known as the 鈥淗ermannator鈥� for his dominant performances 鈥� particularly in the speed events 鈥� Fischbacher's run was worthy of her first win at a major international event.
It helped that her coach, J眉rgen Kriechbaum, was the one who set the course 鈥� a duty that rotates among coaches from different countries.
鈥淗e was really thinking hard how he would set the course,鈥� said Fischbacher. 鈥淗e was making a perfect course for me.鈥�
Fischbacher鈥檚 young teammate Anna Fenninger agreed that it played to her strengths.
鈥淚t was really a course for Andrea 鈥� it was really hard to be fast. So much speed, so many turns, and bumpy,鈥� said Fenninger, who finished 16th and third for Austria. 鈥淲hen I saw [her run], I thought, that鈥檚 it鈥� 鈥� she won.
But Kreichbaum, who had complained upon arriving at the athletes' village in Whistler that he had no TV, joked that it was Pac-Man that brought Fischbacher gold.
鈥淭he coaches played Pac-Man before the downhill,鈥� when Elisabeth Goergl won bronze, said Kreichbaum, who now has a TV and Internet in his room. 鈥淎nd we played Pac-Man yesterday, so maybe this is the reason鈥� for Austria鈥檚 success.
Slovenia's first-ever silver in Winter Olympics
While Vonn is generally stronger in the speed events that are now over, Maze 鈥� Slovenia鈥檚 flag-bearer, who has finished in the top 8 all week here 鈥� is stronger in Giant Slalom.
鈥淪he鈥檚 a threat in every single event,鈥� said Tracy, the US coach. 鈥淭ina鈥檚 a fighter 鈥� she deserves this.鈥�
Tentative on the downhill earlier in the week, she was beaming after her performance today, which earned Slovenia its first silver medal in a Winter Olympic sport.
鈥淚鈥檓 happy that I did do the downhill and felt the fear, and [then] showed all the courage today,鈥� said Maze, who dedicated her performance to injured athletes who couldn鈥檛 compete.
Earlier in the week, Maze鈥檚 teammate Petra Majdic came back after a hard crash in warm-up to win bronze in the cross-country sprint 鈥� only to find out later that she did it with four broken ribs.
Slovenia鈥檚 press chief Branislav Dimitrovic said that while she will be unable to race any more at these Games, he hopes she will be able to return today from the Vancouver hospital where she鈥檚 been staying.
鈥淢aybe she will celebrate this silver medal with us tonight,鈥� he said.
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