Programs
Competitions
Venues
Access
A la carte
Photo Album
From the Olympics Toword Tomorrow
 |
Maier skis to limit to grab 2nd Olympic gold
 Hermann Maier |
9:30- Start
Hermann Maier of Austria pushed himself to the limit, as he always does, to claim a solid victory in the men's giant slalom race Thursday and win his second gold medal of the Nagano Olympics in central Japan.
The 25-year-old ski instructor, who also led after the first round, posted the day's fastest time of 1 minute, 18.15 seconds in his second run down the Mt. Higashidate course to win the event by an overwhelming 0.85-second margin with a combined 2:38.51.
''I was charging (on my second run) as I am always,'' Maier said. ''And as I always do in the World Cup races, in the second run, I must ski on the limit. This course was wonderful, good to ski on.''
Maier, also known as ''Das Monster'' and ''Herminator,'' earlier this week lived up those nicknames as he won the men's super G race just three days after suffering a horrific crash in the downhill event last Friday.
''Sorry about my downhill. But I'm so happy with two medals,'' he said.
Fellow Austrian Stefan Eberharter moved up one notch to a silver medal finish with a combined time of 2:39.36 as compatriot Christian Mayer, the bronze medal winner in last week's Alpine combined event, struggled through his race to drop from second to ninth place.
Prerace gold medal favorite and reigning world champion Michael von Gruenigen of Switzerland, fifth place after the first run, grabbed the bronze medal by finishing in 2:39.69, only 0.02 second faster than Jure Kosir of Slovenia.
Japan's top Alpine skier Kiminobu Kimura took 25th place while countryman Takuya Ishioka finished in a tie for 29th.
''I was able to ski comfortably,'' said Kimura, a slalom specialist. ''For me, the race went just fine because I was able to simulate how I would perform in the slalom race (scheduled for Saturday).''
Hur Seung Wook, who served as the flag bearer of the South Korean delegation at the opening ceremony, ended in 33rd place.
Three-time Olympic gold medalist Alberto Tomba of Italy and Norway's Kjetil Andre Aamodt, the 1992 Olympic champion and Lillehammer bronze medalist in super G, both crashed into a gate and toppled out of the race in their first runs. (Kyodo News)
Final results of Alpine skiing men's giant slalom Thursday in the 18th Olympic Winter Games at Mt. Higashidate, Yamanouchi, Nagano Prefecture:
1. Hermann Maier, Austria 2 minutes, 38.51 seconds (first run 1:20.36, second run 1:18.15)
2. Stefan Eberharter, Austria 2:39.36 (1:20.94, 1:18.42)
3. Michael von Gruenigen, Switzerland 2:39.69 (1:20.98, 1:18.71)
4. Hans Knauss, Austria 2:39.71 (1:21.16, 1:18.55)
5. Jure Kosir, Slovenia 2:39.98 (1:20.97, 1:19.01)
6. Steve Locher, Switzerland 2:40.30 (1:21.98, 1:18.32)
7. Paul Accola, Switzerland 2:40.57 (1:21.31, 1:19.26)
8. Lasse Kjus, Norway 2:40.65 (1:21.92, 1:18.73)
9. Christian Mayer, Austria 2:40.67 (1:20.84, 1:19.83)
10. Fredrik Nyberg, Sweden 2:40.95 (1:22.32, 1:18.63)
-----
25. Kiminobu Kimura, Japan 2:46.35 (1:25.02, 1:21.33)
29. Takuya Ishioka, Japan 2:49.51 (1:26.16, 1:23.35)
33. Hur Seung Wook, South Korea 2:52.27 (1:27.87, 1:24.40)
Kentaro Minagawa, Japan Did not finish
Byon Jong Moon, South Korea Did not finish
Dmitri Kvatch, Kazakstan Did not finish
No part of the article, photographs, or illustrations presented here may be printed or used without permission.
Copyright 1998 The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun