European Report: Goetschl still has shot at overall; new stars for Germany

European Report: Goetschl still has shot at overall; new stars for Germany{mosimage}Renate Goetschl remains Anja Paerson’s only threat in the women’s battle for the overall World Cup title.

The Austrian sits 173 points behind the Swede going into the World Cup Finals at Sestriere, Italy, March 10-14. The Austrian team hopes that with the speed events coming before the technical races, Goetschl can unnerve her rival in the final weekend of the 2003-04 season.

“Renate must win both the downhill and super G to truly have a chance,” said Austrian women’s coach Herbert Mandl. “As we have seen before, Paerson races well under pressure but if Renate skis well, there’s still a chance.”

Paerson already has the slalom and giant slalom titles secured but missed a chance in Levi to slam the door on the overall. Paerson finished off the podium in both slaloms.

Goetschl tried her luck in both slaloms to little avail. Still, Mandl said the effort was important. “Sure, Renate didn’t score any points, but it was worthwhile that she raced and kept her rhythm,” he said.

Heading into Sestriere, both skiers are qualified for all four events, so the showdown should come down to the wire. Paerson has racked up important points by racing super G and downhill more consistently this season (she’s ranked 19th in super G with 104 points) while Goetschl ranks 11tt in GS with 190 points.

In other Austrian team news, Michaela Kirchgasser is out for the season after injuring her left knee in Levi. With the men racing in Kvitfjell, Norway, the women’s team will travel Sunday to Sestriere after training this week in Austria.

>> Germans hail new stars

Germans are hungry for glamorous new stars following the retirement of skiing queen Katja Seizinger and fans are hopeful they’ve found a new generation of stars in Maria Riesch and Felix Neureuther.

Riesch has already confirmed her status as Germany’s newest celebrity on snow. After claiming two gold medals at this winter’s World Junior Championships, she won her third World Cup race of the season Sunday in Levi.

Her slalom victory marked her third win this season, in three different disciplines. Riesch has already been christened by the German media as the “miracle child.”

Another star on a verge of breaking out is the 19-year-old Neureuther, son of stars Christian Neureuther and Rosi Mittermaier. Already crowned as national slalom champion, Neureuther has qualified for Sestriere after a pair of top 10 finishes this season (seventh at St. Anton, Austria, and eighth at Madonna di Campiglio, Italy).

“They’ve come along just at the right time,” Christian Neureuther told the German wire service DPA. “The sport urgently needs new faces.”

>> American snowboarder dies in Spain

Josh Malay, considered one of the rising stars in snowboarding, died over the weekend after a snowboarding accident in the Spanish Pyrenees. He was 23.

Malay hit his head Friday while snowboarding beneath a ski lift between shoots when he cruised over a 10-foot drop-off and landed on the tail of his board. He struck a football-sized rock hidden under the snow, the Associated Press reported.

He was transported to a hospital in Barcelona and taken off life support Saturday or early Sunday after family members arrived from Minnesota.

Sean Malay said his brother had skied from the time he was 8 and took to snowboarding with a vengeance. In a recent interview with the Vail Daily, Malay said his parents didn’t understand why he chose snowboarding over college, especially considering his talent in fine arts.

“They just thought that I was throwing that away, but you can always do art,” said Malay. “I’ve learned more from this than I think I would have sitting in a classroom. I’ve been traveling; I’ve met so many people.”

Last fall, Malay was featured on the cover of Snowboarder magazine, publicity that helped lead to his trip to Europe. He and others were being photographed for a story by Transworld Snowboarding Magazine.

Malay also designed the punk-rock-themed graphics for K2’s Seth Pistol ski.