Game effort, but no US medals, in women's slalom

SESTRIERE, Italy -- Call them the walking wounded. Or, in this case, the skiing wounded.

But considering the platoon of powerful European slalom racers from Sweden to Austria to Germany to Croatia, the fight put up by injured and recovering US racers down a foggy course through 55 gates last night is worth noting, even if it wasn't enough to win medals.

While the Americans came up short, Swedish superstar Anja Paerson rose to the occasion, taming both ends of the slalom to finally win her first Olympic gold medal, beating a pair of Austrians, Nicole Hosp (silver) and Marlies Schild (bronze).

Paerson covered two runs in 1 minute 29.04 seconds, 0.29 seconds ahead of Hosp.

Perhaps the most impressive US racer was Sarah Schleper from Vail, Colo., who, after a slow first run left her in 14th place, turned in the best run of her season in the second heat to finish 10th.

In an ordinary season, under ordinary circumstances, not a great Olympic result. But Schleper's story begins with surgery for herniated disks, the result of several injuries that began in 1998 (just months after her Olympic debut), when she crashed in a giant slalom in Val D'Isere, France, taking her out of the World Cup season and the world championships.

A relieved Schleper talked to reporters at the end of her second run as she watched the iron of the slalom corps take shots at her time of 1:31.38.

''I felt like I finally got to the bottom of the run and I am happy with it," she said. ''I tried not to think about anything except going down the hill and going faster. In the first run, I felt tentative and so I did not ski my best. But in the second run, I kept feeling better, going down the hill faster and faster. That's my best slalom of the year, and hopefully I will be even better in the giant slalom."

Schleper, who recorded a ninth-place finish in giant slalom in Cortina, Italy, in late January, placed seventh in the slalom and 13th in giant slalom in last season's world championship at Bormio, Italy -- career highs in major competition.

So she said yesterday's 10th place showed her that her skiing is still competitive, especially coupled with the Cortina result. ''I guess I really showed myself today that I still have some skiing left to do, and that I can get better," said Schleper.

One of the more heroic efforts was turned in by Kristina Koznick who, after suffering a serious knee injury in a crash Feb. 4, made a startling decision to try running the Olympic slalom in this, her retirement year. On a foggy track, Koznick finished the first run, but was 33d, a finish that led her to pull out of the second run.

''It's OK," she said, to questions about her knee. ''Mentally it's just tough to be skiing as fast as you can when you know things aren't right. I went from being on crutches a few days ago to being here on skis, and I think that took courage. I wanted a fairy tale and I guess that didn't happen, but I'm happy that I tried. And I know there are a lot of people proud of me for being here today."

Though Koznick has stated her intention to retire, her final taste has left her hedging her decision. At the US team house after the race, she said she was ''thinking" about her future in ski racing.

''I just didn't want to leave," said Koznick. ''I wanted to push through the pain and stay here and give it a try. I knew that after facing something like this I should be proud. It hurts to stand here, but I knew it was about blocking out the pain and trusting myself."

Also nursing pain was Lindsey Kildow, the Vail, Colo., skier who suffered a back injury in a high-speed training run two days before the downhill, then reinjured it in a fall in the combined two days later. Yesterday, her first run left her within four-10ths of podium time, and her second run placed her 14th.

''The layoff for a few days helped [my back] healing and feeling better," she said. ''The more I do the more restricted my back movement gets. It's really frustrating."

Kildow, who came into the Games as a strong medal contender, said the course last night offered some tough conditions.

''It was really tough near the bottom," she said of the fog. ''I just could not see."

Kildow has doubts about racing in the giant slalom tomorrow.

''I hope I can, but GS is my worst event," she said. ''I'll see how training runs go but if it doesn't go well, I just may stay off and hope my back gets better."

When asked about her Olympics, the 21-year-old Kildow grows wistful.

''I really wanted a medal here," she said. ''I've been working really hard but it just didn't work out. I started well, but then there was the crash. But I wanted to enjoy my race here. And I did."