Are: Who, what to watch for in women's super G

ARE, Sweden — Already one of the most popular ski racers of all-time in Sweden, Anja Paerson’s status would turn legendary with a win on home snow during these World Championships. Paerson has six World Championship medals, including five golds. A seventh would tie her with the great Ingemar Stenmark for most worlds medals earned by a Swede. Stenmark hails from Tarnaby, in the north of Sweden and not far from where Paerson was born.
ARE, Sweden — Already one of the most popular ski racers of all-time in Sweden, Anja Paerson’s status would turn legendary with a win on home snow during these World Championships.
    Paerson has six World Championship medals, including five golds. A seventh would tie her with the great Ingemar Stenmark for most worlds medals earned by a Swede. Stenmark hails from Tarnaby, in the north of Sweden and not far from where Paerson was born.
    Paerson is the defending world champion in the super G, and she’ll race for that title again Sunday when the women will look to kick off the racing at these World Championships after the men’s super G was scrubbed on Saturday. Ironically, Paerson hasn’t won a World Cup race since last season’s World Cup Finals in Are, where she topped the downhill. After having knee surgery over the summer, Paerson got off to a solid start before Christmas but has slowed down since as her knee flared up.
    “It’s always hard to come back from an injury. … I was probably a little more optimistic. I felt in good shape in the beginning of the year, my knee was not hurting that much. Coming back from Christmas I had a big injury in my knee,” Paerson said Friday.
    Having the skipped the final week of racing before worlds in Cortina to rest and rehab the knee, Paerson spent three days near Are at her sister’s house before coming to the village Thursday night. She added that taking a break from the World Cup last season before the Olympics paid off in a gold medal in slalom.
    “I took the break last year also before the Olympics to get in good shape. I learned from Bormio [the 2005 World Championships site] it was tough to come into World Championships really tired from doing all events.
    “I’m here to try to achieve something from my home country and defend my flag,” Paerson later added.
    Winning a medal at these worlds would bring Paerson full circle, in a sense, at Are. She played a large role in bringing these World Championships to Sweden, presenting the bid to the FIS board six years ago.
    “I think starting on the World Championships here is not even close to how nervous I was standing in front of that jury,” she said. “It always felt like a long time to this day … at this moment. … It’s here now, and it’s reality, and I have to think it is time to step up and ski the championships at home.”
    Paerson will face plenty of competition Sunday, most notably Austria’s Renate Goetschl. Goetschl has won three of the five World Cup super G’s this season and currently leads the overall, downhill and super G standings. But Goetschl’s last gold at a World Championships came eight years ago in Vail.
    “Renate has so much experience, and she knows exactly what she needs to do, she’s always going to be dangerous,” Paerson said. “… Everyone has a chance, but I think Renate can do well as long as she doesn’t put more pressure on herself.”
    If Goetschl doesn’t lay one down, look for Americans Lindsey Kildow or Julia Mancuso to be right in the hunt for gold. Both have won a super G this season. They both have been hot recently, with Mancuso having gone on a five-race podium streak in January, and Kildow’s super G win came just last weekend in San Sicario.
    If the weather holds Sunday, the race will be run at 12:30 p.m. local time (6:30 a.m. ET).