ALPINE SKIING: IT'S DOWNHILL FOR AMERICANS DENERIAZ PULLS OFF UPSET; NO MEDALS FOR MILLER, RAHLVES.Byline: Steve Dilbeck Staff Writer SESTRIERE BORGATA Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa is a hotel, casino, and spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey owned by Marina District Development Corporation, LLC. The name means "little village" in Italian. The Borgata was built to bring high rollers back to Atlantic City. At a cost of $1. , Italy - Every Olympics has its upset winner, the athlete who went unnoticed and then slipped away with the gold. The 2006 Winter Olympics already has Antoine Deneriaz. The Alpine men's downhill skiing event was supposed to be a showdown between the Austrians and Americans for gold, but it was France's unheralded Deneriaz who blazed the course in the fastest time Sunday. America's much-hyped Bode Miller Samuel Bode Miller (born October 12 1977), best known as Bode Miller (pronounced Bo-dee, in IPA [boʊˈdiː]), is an American alpine skier. took fifth and Daron Rahlves Daron Louis Rahlves (born June 12, 1973 in Walnut Creek, California) is an American skier widely regarded as the most successful American speed racer of all time. He was educated at the Green Mountain Valley School in Vermont and currently resides in Truckee, California. , who had led everyone in the first practice run, settled for 10th. Austria's famed Hermann Maier Hermann Maier (born December 7, 1972, Altenmarkt) is an Austrian skier who has won four overall World Cup titles (1998, 2000, 2001, 2004), two Olympic gold medals (both in 1998), three World Championship titles (1999: 2, 2005: 1) and 53 races in the World Cup. was sixth, defending Olympic champion Fritz Strobel eighth. Of the marquee names, only Austrian Michael Walchhofer Michael Walchhofer (born April 28, 1975 in Radstadt) is an Austrian Alpine skier. He started his career in slalom, but now participates in the downhill speed events. He won the silver medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in the men's downhill event. medaled, earning the silver. Switzerland's Bruno Kernen For the winner of the 1983 Kitzbühel downhill race, see . Bruno Kernen (born 1 July, 1972 in Thun, Canton of Berne) is a Swiss alpine skier. In 1997, he was world champion in downhill, as well as a silver medalist in Alpine combined. took the bronze. Walchhofer thought he had won gold, when the last skier in the first group with a chance to win - Deneriaz - stunned stun tr.v. stunned, stun·ning, stuns 1. To daze or render senseless, by or as if by a blow. 2. To overwhelm or daze with a loud noise. 3. the field with a blazing run. ``My race was incredible,'' Deneriaz said. ``When I was at the start I said to myself, 'Do it! Do It! ``When I arrived at the finish line and I saw the time, I thought it was incredible.'' So did every one else. Or maybe just a little unbelievable. Deneriaz hadn't won a downhill all season. He entered the competition ranked 16th in the World Cup downhill standings and had only two top 10 finishes. He hadn't won a downhill since 2003. And he is your new Olympic champion. ``I was disappointed at first, but then I understood that Deneriaz had a dream run,'' Walchhofer said. ``After two minutes, I was hugely happy.'' Walchhofer is the current World Cup leader in the downhill, and he figured Miller was the most dangerous skier remaining, particularly when Miller edged his time at the first two splits. But Miller faded enough down the stretch to leave Walchhofer on top. ``My heart has never raced so fast,'' Walchhofer said. ``And when Bode came, it must have even stopped. It was extremely exciting because it was the gold decision. But then Deneriaz showed everybody.'' The top skaters Top Skater is a Sega arcade game released in 1997. It was built off the Sega Model 2 hardware. The arcade game was one of the first of the era where arcade games were physically manipulated. try for a start between five and 15. They generally dislike going later because the snow can become slightly mushy mush·y adj. mush·i·er, mush·i·est 1. Resembling mush in consistency; soft. 2. Informal a. Excessively sentimental. See Synonyms at sentimental. b. from the previous skiers. Deneriaz started 30th. ``It's the best day of my life,'' he said. ``It's like a dream. No one believed it could be true.'' A year ago, Deneriaz tore the left anterior lateral ligament in his left knee, crashing during a training run. ``It was 13 long months,'' he said. ``When I was carried by the helicopter, I tried not to be too dramatic. I thought the Olympics were only once every four years and I'm going to make it.'' Make it to the top, make where no one could have imagined. Steve Dilbeck, (818) 713-3607 stephen.dilbeck(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1 -- 2) Daron Rahlves (left) and Bode Miller, considered to be among the favorites in the Alpine men's downhill skiing event, came away without medals Sunday. (3) France's Antoine Deneriaz, who started 30th, screams in celebration after winning the event. Photos by Luca Bruno/Associated Press |
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