ALPINE SKI WORLD CUP 1997/98
Lake Louise (AB, CAN) Women's 2nd Downhill. 05.Dec.1997
LL98_WDH/1st_Seizinger
1st Katja Seizinger(GER)		 LL98_WDH2_WDH/Podio
Downhill 2 Podium. 3rd Kostner, 1st Seizinger, 2nd Suchet
Katja Two for Two in Canada

Katja Seizinger is having a great week in Canada, where she won her third race in a row. The current downhill Olympic champion was able to remain undefeated on the challenging downhill course at Lake Louise for the second day--and the second year--in a row. Last year, the German ace won the downhill race, on the same race course at Lake Louise.
On Thursday she finished just ahead of her teammate, Katrin Gutensohn, and on Friday, she placed 19/100 better than France's Melanie Suchet. Italy's Isolde Kostner took third at 52/100 behind Seizinger. This time, Gutensohn crashed after a jump on the lower part of the technically-demanding course, which requires both great skill and aggressiveness.
Three Austrians came in behind Kostner while Heidi Zurbriggen was the best Swiss skier, placing seventh. With this 31st World Cup success, Seizinger widens the gap between herself ahead her closest rivals in the Overall World Cup standings. She will be tough to beat this winter, in the overall competition which she won in 1996.
"I'm a little surprised by this win because I didn't have the feeling on course that I was skiing so well," she said. "The course was rougher this time and I did more mistakes. I was not hoping to come back so strong in the downhill after the weather problems we had to face this summer in south America. We didn't have the time to test skis as intensively as in the past years. We had some problems in the timed trials here but things worked out fine for the races. It's nice to be back in the lead in the downhill standings, which I didn't win for a long time now."
In Saturday's super-G, Katja will aim for the same impressive hat-trick that achieved her a win in two downhills and a super-G in three days last January at Val d'Isere, France. France's Melanie Suchet was also a winner Thursday with an unexpected place on the podium. The 1994 Junior World Champion in downhill has been very unlucky in the past years and needed great determination to come back. After having reached a promising sixth place in the Olympic downhill at Lillehammer, as well as a second place in a World Cup downhill at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, she suffered several knee injuries and a torn meniscus. She was only 17-years-old in 1992 and is now looking for more success.
"I feel liberated now after all these years of a tough fight," she added. "I was very pleased by my 19th place in Mammoth Mountain last week, and it gave me great momentum for these competitions. These results are also very important for my seating, now I can hope to start again in the first group."
With three of their skiers among the best six, the Austrians were again the best team. But Italy's Isolde Kostner prevented them from celebrating a top-three finish. Alexandra Meissnitzer, one of the few racers able to challenge Seizinger in the Overall World Cup, could take 11th position, in front of France's Florence Masnada and Mojca Suhadolc from Slovenia. Kirsten Clark was again the best U.S. athlete in 35th place.
Women's 2nd Downhill,  December 05,1997
Rank Name Nat. Total
 1 SEIZINGER Katja  GER   1:38.86
 2 SUCHET Melanie  FRA   1:39.05
 3 KOSTNER Isolde  ITA   1:39.38
 4 DORFMEISTER Michaela  AUT   1:39.44
 4 OBERMOSER Brigitte  AUT   1:39.44
 6 GOETSCHL Renate  AUT   1:39.54
 7 ZURBRIGGEN Heidi  SUI   1:39.71
 8 MERLIN Alessandra  ITA   1:40.04
 9 CAVAGNOUD Regine  FRA   1:40.05
 10 MONTILLET Carole  FRA   1:40.08
 11 MEISSNITZER Alexandra  AUT   1:40.12
 12 SUHADOLC Mojca  SLO   1:40.17
 12 MASNADA Florence  FRA   1:40.17
 14 TURGEON Melanie  CAN   1:40.28
 15 BASSIS Patrizia  ITA   1:40.37
 16 DALLOZ Leatitia  FRA   1:40.38
 17 BRACUN Spela  SLO   1:40.42
 18 PEREZ Bibiana  ITA   1:40.48
 19 SCHUSTER Stefanie  AUT   1:40.74
 20 HAEUSL Regina  GER   1:40.89
 21 CECCARELLI Daniela  ITA   1:41.06
 22 GERG Hilde  GER   1:41.09
 23 ERTL Martina  GER   1:41.14
 24 BERTHOD Sylviane  SUI   1:41.22
 25 MARKEN Ingeborg Helen  NOR   1:41.23
 26 MERLIN Barbara  ITA   1:41.30
 27 BRESCIANI Elena  ITA   1:41.63
 27 BRAUNER Sibylle  GER   1:41.63
 29 BRANDNER Elisabeth  GER   1:41.65
 30 GLADISHIVA Svetlana  RUS   1:41.82
 31 KRISTIANSEN Kristine  NOR   1:41.86
 32 GIMLE Trude  NOR   1:41.90
 33 MICKELSON Jennifer  CAN   1:41.91
 34 VOGT Miriam  GER   1:42.03
 35 CLARK Kirsten L  USA   1:42.06
 36 SCHNEIDER Tanja  AUT   1:42.14
 37 PUTZER Karen  ITA   1:42.15
 38 MONAHAN Kathleen  USA   1:42.29
 39 STOECKL Ingrid  AUT   1:42.42
 40 MENDES Jonna  USA   1:42.43
 41 TAGLIABUE Elena  ITA   1:43.10
 42 SALCHINGER Marianna  AUT   1:43.34
 43 NORHEIM Tonje  NOR   1:43.53
 44 REY BELLET Corinne  SUI   1:43.63
 45 NOVIKOVA Svetlana  RUS   1:43.89
 46 GUARAGLIA Amber  USA   1:44.16
 47 NESTERENKO Ekaterina  RUS   1:45.31
 48 DUNN Katie  CAN   1:45.59

Did not start 1st run:
ZELENSKAJA Warwara (RUS), CLEMENT Marie Joelle (CAN), ROBERTS Lindsey (CAN)

Did not finish 1st run:
BRECHU Marianne (FRA), GUTENSOHN Katharina (GER), LARIONOVA Anna (RUS), BORGHI Catherine (SUI), PACE LINDSAY Kate (CAN)