Men's Downhill #2
One was not enough for Daron Rahlves — today the US skier won the second World Cup downhill race held on the Kvitfjell 1994 Olympic course, beating Italy's Kristian Ghedina by 18/100 of a second and Germany's surprising Max Rauffer by 37/100. Austria's Hermann Maier had to be content with 4th place, at 45/100 behind.

	Daron Rahlves

The 26-year-old Californian became the first American to win two downhills in two days an achievement that Austria's Andreas Schifferer accomplished here last year. Incredibly, yesterday was his first World Cup victory.

But Daron now aims to become the first man to win three speed races in three days, like the great Alberto Tomba, who dominated one giant slalom and two slalom races in three days in December 1994, on his way to win his first Overall World Cup title. In November, Hermann Maier won three races in three specialties during the World Cup stop at Beaver Creek, but not within as many days.

"Three is my magic number and super G is my best event, so why not?" Rahlves asked with a big smile at the press conference.

"I'm even more relaxed than yesterday and I had great fun today, steaming down that superb piste," he added.

"I felt that I was again going very fast and I was sure to come back on the podium. It was windy and the conditions were very demanding and slick. I attacked it with great momentum and confidence, since I had nothing to loose...." — Daron Rahlves (USA)

"I felt that I was again going very fast and I was sure to come back on the podium. It was windy and the conditions were very demanding and slick. I attacked it with great momentum and confidence, since I had nothing to loose. I wanted to confirm my victory, but I had no problem handling the pressure.

"This is better than a dream," he added. "It's great to beat such an outstanding skier like Kristian Ghedina, after finishing ahead of Didier Cuche and Hermann Maier. They have been the best speed specialists this season and I'm proud to be up there with them."

Switzerland Didier Cuche, 2nd on Friday, slid to 5th place, making Rahlves the only skier to retain his spot on the podium on Saturday.

For the first time in a downhill race this season, there is no Austrian among the top-3. This happened last at the World Cup Finals at Sierra Nevada in 1999.

Finishing ahead of "The Herminator," Ghedina remains hopeful for a good result in the downhill standings — the Italian closed the gap with Maier to 63 points today.

"Thanks to the sunny weather, the visibility was excellent today, but Daron was too fast for me," said Ghedina. "I had an excellent run, especially at the bottom, but it was not enough to beat him. He is having a great weekend here," added the Italian veteran, who is the leading specialist among downhillers, with 11 victories.

"I had a short night after spending hours on the phone with my pals back home and my girlfriend, who predicted my first win," said Rahlves. "I was so excited that I could not sleep before 2am and I thought a lot about what had just happened. We had a small party with the team and we were all very happy. We have worked hard for years to reach this and now we can be optimistic about the future, too.

"It's a great boost for our group before the upcoming medal events in St. Anton and Salt Lake City. I'm so pleased that the next Winter Olympics take place in my country - I can't wait for the opening ceremony.

	Ghedina

"These successes will not bring me as much money as some Europeans, but it's fine — just to be at the top is fantastic," he said.

"I can imagine that the other guys will be charging hard in the super G — so will I," he said about tomorrow's race. "It's a great hill and you have to fight hard to clock a fast time. I'll just go out there to have fun trying to win once more."

In fact, Hermann Maier is seeking revenge, and he won the challenging super G here last year. Maier was disappointed after missing his 19th World Cup podium of the season in the second to last downhill race of the season.

He was sure he had achieved another great race after coming through the finish line. "I don't think I can ski it better," he admitted. "I have reached far more than expected during these two days, after my disappointing training runs, but there was more in this race today. I caught some bad gusts of wind in the lower gliding section where my speed dropped dramatically as I approached the finish line. I could feel it and it was quite frustrating.

"But that's fine," Maier added. "I don't mind waiting until the Finals at Bormio to definitely clinch the downhill title. I like the Italian course — I won my first downhill on the Stelvio run in 1997. It will make everything more interesting for all of us."

It certainly will. But first, we'll have to wait and see if Rahlves can make it a three-peat in tomorrow's super G.

— Manuele Joyce, MountainZone.com European Correspondent