Ghedina marks 50th anniversary of Cortina Games

Ghedina marks 50th anniversary of Cortina Games{mosimage}CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy – Skier Kristian Ghedina carried the flame for next month’s Torino Olympics through his hometown Thursday to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1956 Winter Games in Cortina.

As a steady snow fell, Ghedina lit a cauldron outside the hockey arena built for the 1956 Games. Guido Caroli, the final torchbearer from the ’56 relay, joined Ghedina.

”It’s a great emotion being on an Olympic podium, even if I still haven’t won a medal yet,” said Ghedina, who will be searching for his first Olympic medal in Torino at his fifth Olympics.

Ghedina has raced in a record 164 downhills and his 29 downhill podiums are the most among active skiers. Besides his 13 World Cup victories, he has won two silver medals and one bronze at the World Championships. The one thing missing from his collection is an Olympic medal.

Ghedina was flown in by helicopter from Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, where he competed in a World Cup downhill training session earlier Thursday.

Also Thursday, 1956 Games star Toni Sailer lit the cauldron used for the Cortina Games. The Austrian swept all three gold medals in alpine skiing – downhill, slalom and giant slalom.

The Torino Games begin Feb. 10.

– The Associated Press