SESTRIERE, Italy — Three Austrians were the last men standing in the final Alpine event of the Turin Olympics.
Benjamin Raich earned his second gold medal of the Games and led an Austrian sweep in the men's slalom Saturday to complete the most dominating Alpine performance by any country in Olympic history.
Reinfried Herbst was second and Rainer Schoenfelder third to give Austria a record 14 Alpine medals, three more than its old record from the 1998 Nagano Games.
It was the first time one nation swept the medals in an Olympic slalom race and only the fifth sweep in 122 Alpine events. Austria has three of them.
Canada's Thomas Grandi during the the first run of the Men's Slalom at the Turin Winter Olympic Games in Sestriere Colle, Italy on Saturday. ((AP/Charles Krupa))
“This is the greatest Olympics ever for us,” Austrian Alpine director Hans Pum said.
So much for this being the Olympics where the United States would challenge Austria's supremacy in the mountains. Top American skiers Ted Ligety and Bode Miller were eliminated, along with favourite and local hero Giorgio Rocca of Italy, in a brutal first of the two runs.
When it was over, Herbst and Schoenfelder hoisted Raich on their shoulders in celebration in the finish area.
Raich won with a combined two-run time of one minute 43.14 seconds. He had the fastest times in both runs to add the slalom gold to the one he won in the giant slalom on Monday. Herbst was a distant 0.83 seconds behind and Schoenfelder 1.01 seconds back.
Thomas Grandi of Canmore, Alta., finished ninth, while Michael Janyk of Whistler, B.C., was 17th. Patrick Biggs of Ottawa and Jean-Philippe Roy of Ste-Flavie, Que., did not finish.
“I'm just very happy,” Raich said. “It's unbelievable for me to win two medals here. I was just focused on the second run. The course was tough. I think it's a perfect moment for all the Austrian team. I can't believe it.”
Kalle Palander of Finland, second-fastest in the first run, appeared to have taken the lead but was disqualified for straddling a gate, the same fate that befell Ligety in the first run. Palander slammed one ski pole to the snow after realizing what had happened.
Miller, the World Cup overall champion a year ago, will leave the Italian Alps without a medal. He finished his lacklustre Olympics by straddling a gate just a few seconds into his run, then skied off the course and raised his arms in mock excitement.
Miller, who has been a local nightlife fixture throughout the Games, told The Associated Press he was content with his experience.
“As far as my own personal involvement, I would not change anything. I had an awesome Olympics,” Miller said. “My preparation certainly could have been different, but I'm not a guy who looks back.”
Nine of the top 29 skiers in the competition could not even finish the first run because they either crashed or straddled a gate.
The stands at the edge of Sestriere were filled and the mountain village had a festive pre-race atmosphere as Italians crowded to cheer on their last and best hope for an Alpine medal.
But their hopes were dashed less than a minute after the event began when Rocca, the first down the hill and the world's No. 1-ranked slalom skier, got his skis crossed and crashed face-first into the soft snow outside the course.
“The snow was a little bit soft and when you want to go fast, mistakes happen,” he said. “It's a shame because it's my last time in Italy in the Olympics. It's sports, you win or lose.”
