Are: Will a new face emerge on the men's side?

The men's alpine skiing scene is looking for a new face.

ARE, Sweden — The men's alpine skiing scene is looking for a new face.
    The sport — which has often featured big personalities such as Franz Klammer, Alberto Tomba and Hermann Maier — has had winners from 11 different nations in five disciplines this season, with no single skier dominating the World Cup.
    The upcoming World Championships could provide the ideal stage for stars such as Benjamin Raich, Aksel Lund Svindal, Bode Miller and Maier to reassert themselves or allow young new personalities to step into the limelight.
    ''It's going to be a challenging set of races because there are a lot of guys with a huge amount of speed,'' Miller said. ''And at something like the World Championships, everyone has the gas pedal all the way to the floor. I think you're going to see some surprise winners.''
    The 15-day biennial championships begin Saturday with the men's super G and close Feb. 18 with the nations team event.
    Raich, the 28-year-old reigning World Cup overall champion, has consistently delivered at big events, winning the Olympic giant slalom and slalom gold last year in addition to slalom and combined titles at the 2005 worlds in Bormio, Italy.
    ''With my last races I've got a lot of confidence now, especially in slalom where there are so many favorites,'' said the Austrian, who won the last race before the worlds. ''Of course I feel a lot of pressure but it's a good feeling to know you're mixing with the best.''
    After winning the 2005 overall title, Miller became the overhyped face of the Torino Olympics, where he failed to win a medal. He has re-emerged this season as a fitter, more motivated and successful contender.
    The winner of two downhills and two super Gs this season, the 29-year-old American is a threat to win medals in all events at the worlds, if he can find a way to improve in the technical races.
    On Tuesday, Miller completed a slalom for the first time in more than a year — but that was only a 25th-place finish. It was still good enough to secure the slalom berth he needed for a chance to make history by becoming the first skier to collect World Championships gold medals in all five disciplines.
    Winner of the downhill and super G at the 2005 worlds and the giant slalom and combined gold medals in 2003, Miller is missing only the slalom gold.
    ''I think it's as realistic as anything else,'' Miller said. ''If I get to the finish line, I've shown in the past I have as much speed as anybody in the world.''
    The championships could mark Maier's last major international event.
    Though less prolific these days and still without a win this season, the 34-year-old Austrian is famous for his resilience, having bounced back from spectacular crashes and a near-fatal 2001 motorcycle accident.
    Considered past his prime heading into the 2005 worlds, Maier silenced critics by taking the title in the giant slalom. Again, in Torino, he won silver and bronze in the super G and giant slalom.
    ''There are no clear favorites in any of the events this year,'' Maier said. ''That makes the whole thing particularly delightful.''
    Svindal, 24, has picked up where his illustrious retired Norwegian teammates Kjetil Andre Aamodt and Lasse Kjus left off, soaring to the top of the overall rankings. At the World Cup Finals here last year, Svindal won the downhill on the same Olympia course.
    Svindal is competing in all events.
    The Swedish hosts are hopeful. Three Swedes have won slaloms — Markus Larsson, Andre Myhrer and Byggmark, who stunned the men's field with back-to-back wins in Kitzbühel and placing second in Schladming.
    The Swiss, who earned no medals at the last worlds, will be led by a veteran and a newcomer.
    Didier Cuche leads the downhill standings. Marc Berthod, who overcame a high start number to win a slalom in Adelboden Switzerland, was also second in a pair of super combis.
    ''Hopefully this trend will continue at worlds,'' he said.

— Erica Bulman, The Associated Press