Hannes Reichelt

Medal expectations were high going into the world championships, as they always are for ski-crazy Austria, but with just one bronze to their name, the racers have resorted to oft-repeated arguments that "you need luck" and "this is sport."

Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal reclaimed the men's world downhill title here Saturday to win his eighth world championship medal and second in Schladming after a super-G bronze.

Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal regained the men's world downhill title here Saturday to win his eighth world championship medal and second in Schladming after a super-G bronze.

The usual suspects of speed kings ruled the top times in Thursday's first training run for the men's downhill, the blue riband event of the World Ski Championships scheduled for the weekend.

The Italian men's ski team will head into next month's world championships in buoyant mood after speed king Dominik Paris won the vaunted downhill race in Kitzbuehel.

Dominik Paris of Italy belied his relative inexperience on Saturday to keep his nerve and win the toughest and most dangerous event on the World Cup circuit, the men's Kitzbuehel downhill.

Norwegian speed king Aksel Lund Svindal claimed victory in the men's World Cup super-G on Friday, his maiden win on the notoriously tough Hahnenkamm mountain.

Austrian Klaus Kroell fired out a warning to Norwegian rival Aksel Lund Svindal by topping Thursday's third and final training run for the men's World Cup downhill on the weekend.

Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal got off to a headstart in Kitzbuehel on Tuesday, finishing fastest in the first of three training runs for the downhill scheduled for Saturday.

Italy's super-G world champion Christof Innerhofer won his second downhill of the season here on Saturday taking one of the races regarded as a classic on the circuit.

Hannes Reichelt of Austria and Dominik Paris of Italy deadheated to share the win in the men's World Cup downhill here on Saturday.

Italy's Matteo Marsaglia notched his first alpine World Cup victory on Saturday, winning the Beaver Creek super-G ahead of Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal.

Marcel Hirscher was given double reason to celebrate Saturday after handing Austria their first overall World Cup men's alpine title since 2006 following his victory in the men's giant slalom.

Austria's Marcel Hirscher won the giant slalom World Cup trophy here on Saturday, after his closest competitor, US skier Ted Ligety, flew out of the season's final race in the first run.

Swiss veteran Didier Cuche showed he was still a force to be reckoned with in World Cup training here on Tuesday, as he outskied his main rivals for the downhill trophy.

Austria's Georg Streitberger proved fastest in the third and final training session Friday for the men's World Cup downhill on the course to be used at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

Poor visibility at the venue which will host the 2014 Olympics forced the cancellation of a second training session for the men's World Cup downhill here Thursday.

Austria's Hannes Reichelt pipped Swiss Didier Cuche Wednesday as alpine's speed event specialists were given a first glimpse of how difficult it will be to win Olympic downhill gold in 2014.

In-form Swiss skier Didier Cuche won the men's World Cup downhill here on Saturday on a course shortened due to fog.

Switzerland's Beat Feuz won the testing World Cup downhill here on Saturday, finishing ahead of Austrian Hannes Reichelt and Italy's Christof Innerhofer.