WINTER SPORTS ROUNDUP : Tomba Loses More Ground When Accola Wins

Alberto Tomba knew he should have listened to his mother.

Tomba, racing in a super-G for the first time in two years in an attempt to gain ground in the World Cup overall standings, finished 15th as Paul Accola of Switzerland increased his lead with a victory at Shizukuishi, Japan.

“During the race, I thought of stopping at the midway point to accept my mother’s advice, but I completed it,� said Tomba, who entered the race in an attempt to catch up with Accola in the standings.

Tomba’s parents have opposed his entry in speed races since he broke his collarbone in a crash during a super-G at Val d’Isere, France, in 1989.

Accola finished the 5,889-foot course in 1 minute 12.49 seconds before 26,500 fans. He collected 100 points and increased his lead over Tomba in the overall Cup standings to 1,470-1,162.

Urs Kaelin, also of Switzerland, was second in 1:12.77 on the Mount Takakura course.

“I was lucky because I skied on hard snow,� Accola said. “After last night’s rain, officials scattered salt so the snow became hard. If it were soft snow, I think I would have had less chance.�

Tomba, who won the gold medal in the giant slalom and silver in the slalom at Albertville, finished in 1:14.41--nearly two seconds behind Accola.

With virtually no chance to catch Accola, Tomba said he will probably skip races at Panorama, Canada, and Aspen, Colo., but would compete in the season-ending slalom and giant slalom at Crans Montana in Switzerland. There are two downhills and two Super Gs at both North American stops.

“Nobody knows what will happen,� Accola said of the overall title. “I cannot say anything until the World Cup finishes in late March. But I hope my good condition will continue and I will celebrate victory in mid-March in Switzerland.�

Norway’s Jan Einar Thorsen finished third in 1:12.83, Marc Girardelli of Luxembourg was fourth in 1:13.22 and Franz Heinzer of Switzerland was fifth in 1:13.26.

Jeff Olson was the best among American skiers, placing 12th in 1:14.25. Kyle Rasmussen finished 18th in 1:15.05, and AJ Kitt was 23rd in 1:15.41. Tommy Moe missed a gate and was disqualified.

Kjetil Andre Aamodt of Norway, the super-G gold medalist at Albertville, sustained a bruised right leg and nose in practice and did not compete.

Igor Zelezovski of Belarus matched Eric Heiden’s 13-year record by sweeping all four races and Ye Qiaobo won the women’s overall title at the World Sprint Speedskating Championships at Oslo.

Dan Jansen placed second overall among the men.

Teammate Bonnie Blair, the Olympic champion at 500 and 1,000 meters, won both 500-meter races, but was 10th and ninth in the distance races and finished second overall behind Ye, who had 167.260 points to 168.790 for Blair.

“I thought Bonnie would be too strong, so this was a big surprise,� said Ye, who blew kisses to the fans at the Valle Hovin rink and hugged Norway’s King Harald. “But the Olympics are bigger.�

Zelezovski, a 28-year-old from Minsk, duplicating Heiden’s feat from the 1979 World Sprints at Inzell, Germany. Zelezovski finished with 152.280 points, while Jansen, who was second and third in the 500 but was only sixth in the 1,000 both days, had 154.250.

Zelezovski said he might retire after this season and is uncertain he will compete in the finals of the season-long World Cup series at Butte, Mont. this month.

“I don’t know if I can go to Butte, but if there is money I’ll certainly compete,� he said. “As for next year, I don’t know yet. We think more about food than sports in Belarus. Besides, I’ve got a family to take care of.�

It was the fifth world sprint title for Zelezovski, who flopped in the Olympics, where his best finish was sixth.

Toni Nieminen, the 16-year-old Finnish ski-jumping star, set a hill record of 125 meters in winning the 120-meter World Cup event in his hometown of Lahti, Switzerland.

Nieminen, 16, who also had a jump of 113 meters, finished with 243 points, 28 points ahead of Heinz Kuttin of Austria, who was followed by two Austrian teammates, Andreas Felder and Ernst Vettori.

Nieminen’s longest jump bettered the 12-year-old hill record set by then 16-year-old Canadian Steve Collins in 1980. Nieminen jumped 9.5 meters farther than the next-best effort, by Vettori in the second round.

In the World Cup standings, Werner Rathmayr of Austria saw his lead narrow to six points ahead of Nieminen with seven events left.

Stefania Belmondo of Italy won the women’s 30-kilometer cross-country classic style and took the World Cup lead, four points ahead of Yelena Valbe of the Commonwealth of Independent States, who placed fourth.

The fight for the World Cup title between defending champion Valbe and Belmondo, last year’s runner-up, culminates in the final races of the seasons the next two weeks.

Jan Ottosson of Sweden won the Vasaloppet cross-country ski marathon for the third time in a row, edging Walter Mayer of Austria by two seconds at Mora, Sweden.

Ottosson covered 90 kilometers (56 miles) in 3 hours 57 minutes 4 seconds, a surprisingly fast time in warm and humid conditions.

Ottosson won in 1989 and is one of only three skiers who have claimed victory three times in a row. The race was canceled in 1990 because of lack of snow.

Mayer, 38, was trying to regain the Vasaloppet title he won 12 years ago.

Sven-Erik Danielsson of Sweden had one of his ski poles kicked away by a competitor, had to turn back and pick it up and finished third, 1:53 behind Ottosson. Norway’s Vegard Ulvang, a triple gold medalist in the Winter Olympics at Albertville, was fourth at 3:59.38.

Antonia Ordina of Russia, now living in Sweden, won the women’s race in 4:34.77. Last year’s winner, Nina Skeime of Norway, was five minutes behind.