Andrine Flemmen (NOR)

DOB:  12/29/1974  Hometown:  Molde

Andrine Flemmen, a strong super G racer in the mid '90s, has finally found her rhythm and more successes on the World Cup tour. Flemmen is now one of the best woman giant slalom racers on the circuit, scoring points in all World Cup GS races during the '98-'99 season.

This consistency came after her surprising win at last season's opening race, the giant slalom at Sölden, Austria, where she defeated superstar Alexandra Meissnitzer. It was also Flemmen's first win in a technical event. She reached the podium four more times in giant slalom last season to finish third in the World Cup standings. Flemmen was also second behind Meissnitzer in the Vail World Championship giant slalom, becoming the first Norwegian racer to win a medal in that event at the Worlds.

The '96 Europacup Giant Slalom Champion settled for 10th place both at the Sestriere Worlds in '97 and the Nagano Olympics in '98. Flemmen was hoping for much better results in Japan after promising results right before the Olympics in February. After Nagano, Flemmen clocked the fastest time in the first run at Bormio before slipping down to a final fourth place finish.

Flemmen, a cross country skier in her younger years, only started alpine skiing at age seven. Her father runs a gas station near Molde, located on Norway's west coast. A very dynamic person, she likes all kinds of sports activities such as squash, snowboarding and aerobics.

— Patrick Lang, MountainZone.com World Cup Correspondent