Are: Strobl aces out Walchhofer for super G start

ARE, Sweden — Christoph Gruber and Fritz Strobl filled the last two super G berths on the Austrian squad at the World Championships.

ARE, Sweden — Christoph Gruber and Fritz Strobl filled the last two super G berths on the Austrian squad at the World Championships.
    Each nation is allowed to enter four skiers per discipline, with the reigning world champion given an extra berth.
    Hermann Maier and Mario Scheiber already had locked up spots for Austria.
    Michael Walchhofer was not given a berth despite twice posting the fastest time in a pair of qualifying runs on Thursday morning.
    Austrian coaches deliberated for seven hours before making their decision.
    In the end, Strobl was chosen over Walchhofer because he had better super G World Cup results this season, coaches said.
    Austrian coach Toni Giger said he had told Walchhofer ahead of the qualifying session that he must beat Strobl by a large margin in qualifying to earn a spot. The margin was in fact minimal, Giger said.
    Walchhofer is still expected to be the flag-bearer at the opening ceremony on Friday evening.

— The Associated Press