Seizinger, Germans Superior in Super-G

MAMMOTH â€”  Two days of World Cup racing ended here with a distinct German accent, leaving the rest of the world about two months to close ground before the 1998 Winter Olympics.

If Mammoth is an indication, the German women may be unstoppable in Nagano.

Saturday, Katja Seizinger won a shortened super-G in 1 minute 13.23, seizing the lead from the seventh start position and leaving little doubt her time would not be matched.

Italy’s Isolde Kostner finished second at 1:13.87, ahead of another German, Katharina Gutensohn, who finished two-hundredths of a second behind Kostner at 1:13.89.

Kirsten Clark was the top American, finishing 27th with a time of 1:16.71, 3.47 seconds slower than Seizinger’s winning time.

Germany placed five skiers among the top eight and finished first, second and fourth in Friday’s parallel event.

The Germans were concerned that the super-G, shortened because Wednesday’s heavy snowfall had made the steep start at Cornice Bowl unsafe and untenable, would take away their decided advantage in the speed event.

“Before the race, we were a little bit unhappy because it was so easy,� Seizinger said of the course. “Normally, the steep part is our favorite.�

But warm conditions and softening snow, which make the course slower, made catching the top 15 starters almost impossible.

Seizinger, 25, won the 1994 Olympic downhill at the Lillehammer Games, defeating American Picabo Street, but has since established herself as perhaps the greatest super-G racer in history, winning World Cup titles in 1994, ’95 and ‘96, in addition to her title in 1993.

Saturday marked Seizinger’s 13th World Cup victory in super-G, surpassing the mark of 12 she had shared with France’s Carole Merle.

Seizinger also won last year’s super-G at Mammoth.

“It was quite a lot easier today,� she said. “The difficult part was missing. It was really demanding last year.�

With Hilary Lindh recently retired, and Street still recovering from knee surgery, the U.S. stood little chance in Saturday’s race. Clark’s 27th-place finish was considered a breakthrough.

“I was very happy with Clark,� U.S. women’s Coach Herwig Demschar said. “For the young kids, it’s basically experience.�

Other U.S. finishers included Kathleen Monahan (35th), Tatum Skoglund (42nd), Jonna Mendes (43rd) and Alexandra Shaffer (47th).

“It’s OK,� Demschar said. “You can’t expect magic things to happen.�

America’s best hopes for the super-G in Nagano were not in Mammoth. Street had planned to start her comeback here, but U.S. coaches decided her surgically repaired left knee was not ready. Demschar hopes Street will be ready for a Dec. 11 super-G in Val d’Isere, France.

Another intriguing U.S. possibility is veteran Julie Parisien, a former world-class slalom skier who is making a comeback after a three-year stint on the pro tour. Starting from 102nd position Friday, Parisien placed 23rd at a Nor-Am giant slalom at Winter Park, Colo., and is showing promise as a super-G and downhill racer.