European Report: German racer leads in Cortina training; Aamodt out for season

European Report: German racer leads in Cortina training; Aamodt out for season{mosimage}Germany’s Maria Riesch was fastest in the women’s downhill training run held Thursday in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, in advance of this weekend’s speed events.

Riesch, second in Wednesday’s super G, put down the fastest time on Thursday, 1:32.99, 0.04 ahead of Austria’s Renate Goetschl with Isolde Kostner of Italy 0.49 seconds back.

Fastest for the U.S. in the second training run (the first was held on Tuesday) for two weekend downhills at Cortina was Lindsey Kildow in fifth, at 1:33.62, right behind Germany’s Hilde Gerg.

Libby Ludlow was next for the U.S. in 12th, with Kirsten Clark 17th. Canadians Kelly Vanderbeek and Emily Brydon were eighth and ninth fastest. Teammate Genevieve Simard, who took Wednesday’s super G at Cortina for her first World Cup win, was a DNF.

The session was marred by a bad crash involving Switzerland’s Tamara Mueller. The 26-year-old, who broke her leg on the same course last year, suffered suspected serious knee ligament damage.

The women race another super G on Friday before downhills on Saturday and Sunday.

Alpine World Cup

Women’s Downhill Training 2

Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy

January 15, 2004

1. Maria Riesch (Germany) 1:32.99

2. Renate Goetschl (Austria) 1:33.03

3. Isolde Kostner (Italy) 1:33.48

4. Hilde Gerg (Germany) 1:33.55

5. Lindsey Kildow (U.S.) 1:33.62

6. Daniela Ceccarelli (Italy) 1:33.64

7. Michaela Dorfmeister (Austria) 1:33.66

8. Kelly Vanderbeek (Canada) 1:33.68

9. Emily Brydon (Canada) 1:33.73

10. Catherine Borghi (Switzerland) 1:33.82.

Other North Americans:

12. Libby Ludlow (U.S.) 1:34.21

17. Kirsten Clark (U.S.) 1:34.28

20. Anne-Marie LeFrancois (Canada) 1:34.36

22. Julia Mancuso (U.S.) 1:34.59

34. Jonna Mendes (U.S.) 1:34.97

36. Caroline Lalive (U.S.) 1:35.03

44. Christina Risler (Canada) 1:35.73

DNF: Genevieve Simard (Canada)

>> Aamodt likely done for season

Despite hopes of returning to competition this season, Kjetil Andre Aamodt told Norwegian radio yesterday his season is likely finished. The bad news came after the 34-year-old made a ski run for the first time since he broke his right ankle in training in October.

“It still hurts so much I cannot buckle my boots, let alone ski,” Aamodt said. “I think I’ll probably have to learn to live with this pain for the rest of my career. Right now I can’t even think about returning to skiing.”

“It’s unbelievably painful. It was hopeless to ski,” he told Norwegian state radio network NTK after the run in Oslo. “The most important thing now is to be free of pain, and aim for next year.”

Aamodt, who has won a record 12 world championship and seven Olympic medals, had hoped to return to skiing this season. Doctors had expected him to be pain-free by January, but even a return in March looks unlikely now. “There has been progress, and I am going to come back for certain — it’s just taking more time than I had hoped,” he said.