Kjetil-Andre Aamodt (NOR)

DOB:  02/09/1971  Hometown:  Oslo

Kjetil-Andre Aamodt is possibly the best all around ski racer in recent years. He won two important combined races last season, the Hahnenkamm combined in Kitzbühel, and the FIS World Championship in Vail, and added many top-3 finishes during the '98-'99 season.

Aamodt, the World Cup Overall Champion in '94, accumulated a series of impressive results in all events last season, especially in the technical races. He also won two medals in the Vail World Championships. Having scored points in all races except three, Aamodt was in the hunt for his second Overall title until the last race in Sierra Nevada, where his friend, Lasse Kjus, edged him out. It was down to the last race, and Aamodt missed the '99 Overall title by just fractions of a second.

His best event in the past, the super G, was his undoing at Sierra Nevada. He came in a disappointing 16th after a crash in the upper part of the course, and then he had to settle for fourth in the downhill, which Kjus won. Only Aamodt and Kjus have conquered medals in all five alpine events. Aamodt won a gold in super G in '92, in slalom and in giant slalom in '93, and in combined in '97 and '99.

Aamodt was only 22 years old when he won the Overall World Cup title after clinching three titles at the Olympics and World Championships. He struggled the next season recovering from a knee injury and trying to handle the newfound stardom.

Aamodt says his focus for the upcoming season is for another downhill title — the last one missing. But the fire still burns strong enough to capture a second Overall Crystal Globe trophy. He lives in Oslo with his girlfriend, Stine, a former five-time Norwegian rhythmic gymnast. His father Finn, his first trainer, now works at the Olympic training center outside of Oslo.

— Patrick Lang, MountainZone.com World Cup Correspondent