Austria's Hermann Maier, smiles after winning the Olympic gold medal in the Men's Super-G event at the XVIII Winter Olympic Games Monday, Feb. 16, 1998, in Hakuba. Didier Cuche, of Switzerland, and Austria's Hans Knauss, each finished in 1:35.43 and shared the silver medal. AP Photo/Rudi Blaha

No stopping 'Herminator'

Back from crash, Hermann Maier wins super-G gold

Web posted February 16, 1998

By Dennis Sodomka
Editor Editor

NAGANO, Japan - Injured Austrian superstar Hermann Maier came back from a spectacular crash in the men's downhill to win the Olympic Super G today.

In the women's downhill, Katja Seizinger of Germany became the first person, man or wom an, to win consecutive downhill gold medals, while Picabo Street of the United States finished sixth.

Maier, a daredevil who goes all out in every race, said he did not attack the super G course as hard as he did the downhill, but he still beat the silver medalist by more than half a second. He said Friday's crash, in which he was airborne for at least 30 feet, may have helped him in the Super G.

``It was better for my head,'' said Maier, 25, whose winning time was 1:34.82. ``Today I was not so aggressive. It was hard for me after the hard crash. It was a little hard for me at the start (of the super G) to be aggressive. I didn't edge so much and it was better for me to let the skis run.''

No one mounted a serious challenge to Maier's time, though he waited until 35 racers had come through before he started to celebrate.

Asked why he was so dominant in the race, he said, ``The material is very good. The difficult turns I skate wonderfully.''

Maier's teammate Hans Knauss tied for the silver medal with Didier Cuche of Switzerland, completing the course in 1:35.43.

``The Herminator,'' as his teammates call him, stopped only briefly after the race before going to a doctor to get treatment for injuries to his right knee and left shoulder. He said he had to take painkillers for the knee injury before today's race.

Maier has dominated the World Cup circuit this year, winning all four super G events he entered and nine races in all. But he has gotten more worldwide exposure for the Olympic crash. Asked what he thought about the notoriety, Maier laughed and said, ``I thought it is better for me to win the gold medal.''

Maier said winning an Olympic medal was a dream come true.

``I've dreamed of winning an Olympic medal, any medal, since I was a kid,'' Maier said. ``It would justify all the sacrifice.''

Answering a question about whether he would have been safer in a car during the crash in which he estimated he was traveling about 50 mph, he paused and said, ``Maybe in a tank. But I am a skier.''

The top American finishers were Daron Rahlves in seventh and Tommy Moe in eighth. Kyle Rasmussen was 13th.

In the women's downhill, Street skied pretty well, but said the snow was hard and bumpy at the top of the course, making it difficult to hold the line she wanted to ski. She also said memories of an earlier injury took enough edge off her performance to keep her out of the medals.

``I gave it my best shot,'' said Street. ``I'm super happy. I didn't let up because I have a gold medal. I was pretty darn close, but unfortunately, close only counts in hand grenades and horseshoes.

``It was really scary, really dangerous. I didn't want to push it. I didn't ski aggressively because I was afraid of hitting the fence and getting an injury. I want to finish the rest of the season. I guess I've got to live with that.''

After eight days of delays and postponement, everyone was delighted to finally get some Alpine racing on the courses in Hakuba. The women's downhill was delayed 45 minutes, but once the racing began, officials hurried skiers through the gate. After Tuesday, Alpine skiing moves to another mountain 50 miles away for the slalom races.