Sabine Egger (AUT)

DOB:  04/22/1977  Hometown:  Globasnitz

Sabine Egger earned a spot in ski history by becoming the only the Austrian to clinch the slalom World Cup title since 1967. She edged out archrival Pernilla Wiberg of Sweden in the final race at Sierra Nevada when it was canceled due to dangerous course conditions. Egger's success helped earn the Austrian team a rare "clean sweep" of the '99 World Cups — capturing all five Crystal Globe trophies. No team has accomplished the feat since the Swiss women in '87.

Egger's achievement was a surprise even for herself because the 23-year-old from Klagenfurt wasn't known as such a determined slalom racer. Egger scored her first top-five result in a slalom during the '94-'95 season at the age of 18. But it took her two more years to get back to the top. She finished second in March '97 at Mammoth Mountain, second in Park City in November '98 and finally won her first race at Berchtesgaden last January. Egger showed true grit during the race held at night in terrible weather conditions. It rained during the entire first run and was very foggy during the second leg. On top of that, she twisted her chronically bad back before the race. Yet she managed to remain focused and aggressive during the entire competition to take her first victory.

Egger grew up on her parents' farm in the small village of St. Stephan, near the Slovenian border and began racing later than most, at age nine. She graduated in summer '97 from the esteemed Stams Ski Academy.

— Patrick Lang, MountainZone.com World Cup Correspondent