Men's Downhill
It's not so much the fact that Hermann Maier keeps on winning, but how he is doing it! The 26-year-old Austrian already won five consecutive events in three specialties in January 1998, so his third consecutive win on Saturday on the treacherous "Birds of Prey" course should not be too surprising. But in the first men's downhill of the season, the reigning speed World Champion knocked off all his rivals despite serious damage to a ski edge, which he broke on the upper gliding section. That didn't seemed to have bothered him.

	Hermann Maier

After a powerful yet very controlled run, the skier from Flachau beat his teammate Stephan Eberharter by almost a full second, while the Italian Kristian Ghedina, a winner here in 1997, came in 3rd.

Five more Austrians finished among the top-eight. Beside Ghedina, only Lasse Kjus – the silver medal winner here last February – reached a satisfying position with 7th. His teammate Kjetil Aamodr, 3rd at the Ski World Championships, must be content with a less brilliant 16th place.

Chad Fleischer, who started in first position, finished a far 21st despite a strong start. He clocked a fast intermediate time, but he lost time on the much more demanding bottom terrain. With Daron Rahvles' crash, no other US skier scored points.

"I had a excellent season start in giant slalom, so I was pretty relaxed. I don't feel any pressure and I can't ski the way I want. Obviously, the strong downhill training I have done in the past months pays off..." — Hermann Maier (AUT)

During very tense moments, Maier never lost his nerves and kept on fighting with great precision on the demanding and icy slope. "The conditions were very similar to February" he said. "They were perfect for me and I felt confident before the race. I had a excellent season start in giant slalom, so I was pretty relaxed. I don't feel any pressure and I can't ski the way I want. Obviously, the strong downhill training I have done in the past months pays off."

"I felt ready for a good day after the excellent training runs in the past days," Maier added. "I was tired after the giant slalom, yet I still managed to clock the best times without really going for it."

	Ghedina

The organizers may now think about renaming this slope — especially if Maier, as it's quite possible, wins once more on Sunday. So far he has celebrated five wins here in seven races - and a total of 21 World Cup wins since February 1997. "Maier's Birds of Prey sounds good, now?" he asked at the press conference after lifting his trophy.

Some skiers, like Sweden's Ingemar Stenmark or Germany's Katja Seizinger have won six races in a row at the beginning of a season and France's Jean Claude Killy captured six consecutive races in January 1967 — three downhills, two slaloms and a giant slalom — but Maier may well establish a new record this winter despite using a less aggressive style than the original "Herminator." In fact, his rivals are now facing sort of a "Herminator II" which is in the same time stronger, more confident and more relaxed than ever before. "I don't know if I'm the best ever Hermann Maier in this moment, but I can tell you that I'm having a great time," he says.

On Sunday, most of the same top skiers will try to beat him in the first super G of the season. Stephan Eberharter, who reached a career best 2nd place in the downhill, won't give up his hope for a first win soon. Today, he took a kind of a revenge after finishing 5th at the World Championships in February. "The season is just starting and there are still a lot of races," he said. "I feel able to improve and Hermann can also make mistakes. I will keep on fighting." A year ago at Aspen, Eberharter was the first to beat Maier in a super G since December 1997.

Lasse Kjus also believes he's able to move up in the next weeks. The double World Champion reached a positive 7th place despite his lack of downhill training. "I was looking for a clean and smooth run," he said. "I'm pleased that I made it among the top 10 despite my low form. I will be more aggressive as soon as I have recovered my old form. It should be an interesting season."

For the moment, Maier has no serious rival on the World Cup — but fortunately the season is still young. It's in the last races that the Crystal Cup will be decided.

— Patrick Lang, MountainZone.com World Cup Correspondent