Are: Paerson accepts the pressure as worlds loom

Anja Paerson hasn't won a race all season. Still, she's the favorite at the World Championships.

ARE, Sweden — Anja Paerson hasn't won a race all season. Still, she's the favorite at the World Championships.
    Paerson will be skiing on home snow in Are, and she got a jump on the competition by skipping last weekend's races in San Sicario, Italy, to get some extra training.
    ''Every year when I win races, it's not positive coming in as the favorite. And every time I'm not winning, it's negative because I'm not winning,'' Paerson said. ''I've done everything. I've come in in good shape and I've come in in bad shape to big events and I came out good with a gold medal, so I hope I can do the same this year.''
    At the last worlds in Bormio, Italy, two years ago, Paerson won two gold medals and one silver. Janica Kostelic, who won the other three golds, is taking this season off.
    Paerson has struggled this season following knee surgery. Her best finish was third in two downhills.
    ''It won't be easy for her. Everyone is watching her,'' Austrian rival Renate Goetschl said. ''But I don't think it will be a big problem for her. She's cool.''
    The opening women's race is Sunday's super G.
    ''It's going to be a nice party,'' Paerson said.
    While Paerson could contend in all five events, Goetschl will be among the favorites only in the speed races — super G and downhill.
    Goetschl enters in top form. She won two races and finished second in the other in San Sicario, vaulting her to the top the overall World Cup standings.
    Unlike Paerson, though, Goetschl has never been a great performer in big events. She has never won a gold medal at the Olympics and has only two golds in six World Championships.
    ''I don't have big expectations,'' Goetschl said. ''A World Championship or Olympics is always a little bit different — one race, one day, and you need good conditions. Everything must play together. Hopefully I can win something.''
    Goetschl missed the World Cup finals in Are last season with an injury and does not know the course for the worlds.
    Besides Paerson, Goetschl's biggest challengers in the speed events should be American teammates Julia Mancuso and Lindsey Kildow.
    Mancuso won the giant slalom at last year's Torino Olympics and has won World Cup races in super G, downhill and combined this season.
    ''No matter whether it's a GS, super G, downhill or slalom, I just feel really confident that I can accomplish what I set out to do,'' Mancuso said.
    At the 2005 worlds, Mancuso won bronze in GS and super G.
    Kildow has also won three World Cup races this season — two downhills and one super G — but is yet to break through in a big event. She finished fourth twice in Bormio and did not contend after crashing in downhill training at last year's Olympics.
    ''I feel I have a lot to prove at big championships,'' Kildow said. ''I have to deal with the pressure. I'm really excited for downhill, super-G and combined. Those are all really good disciplines for me.''
    While Mancuso and Kildow will race four or five events, all-rounders Marlies Schild and Nicole Hosp will be limited to fewer races because they belong to the powerful Austrian team. Each nation is only allowed to enter four athletes for each race. Schild is planning to ski only the slalom, GS and combined. Hosp should also ski the super G.
    ''If I was from another country, I think I could ski everything,'' Schild said.

— Andrew Dampf, The Associated Press