No place like home, but Europe ready for challenge

By Francois Thomazeau (Reuters) - Europe's top skiers will face a tall order next week when they try to wrestle home advantage away from Lindsey 6 and the U.S. team as the alpine skiing world championships return to the United States. Home advantage will be essential in Beaver Creek for the U.S. team as will be their extra motivation for medal events. Yet Austria, led by three times World Cup champion Marcel Hirscher, still remain the leading ski nation and they have a revenge to take. Two years ago in Schladming, Hirscher salvaged home pride by winning the only individual gold medal for Austria in the men’s slalom while the locals secured the team event. Still it is difficult to apprehend the sort of pressure Austrians felt at home where alpine skiing is a religion, and they could be much more relaxed and dangerous far away from home. While Ted Ligety, crowned three times in Schladming, has been a little under par so far this winter, Hirscher has been so consistent in both the slalom and the giant slalom that it is doubtful he will leave Colorado without a medial in either event. The men’s slalom will be a strictly European matter with Germany’s Felix Neureuther, Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen, Sweden’s Mattias Hargin, Italy’s Stefano Gross and France’s Alexis Pinturault the main skiers in contention with Hirscher for gold. While Ligety remains the man to beat in the giant slalom given his curriculum and the fact he won the World Cup race held in Beaver Creek in December, Hirscher has been by far the most reliable skier in the discipline since his victory in the season opener in Soelden, collecting top spots in Are, Alta Baldia and Adelboden. In the absence of injured Aksel Lund Svindal, who might well make a surprise return for the worlds as his Achilles tendon injury has fully recovered, Kjetil Jansrud proved the Norwegian school was still efficient by dominating the speed events. The Super-G Olympic gold medallist has yet to conquer a medal at world championships but his five wins this season, including the Beaver Creek downhill, make him the leading contender in both his favorite events ahead of consistent Italian Dominik Paris and Austrian downhill Olympic champion Matthias Mayer. “He’s the leader in both disciplines so yes, of course, he’s the favorite for two golds,” said Svindal about his team mate as he watched him win the Kitzbuehel downhill last weekend. The U.S. women’s team can rely on their superstars Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin, who defends her slalom crown, to collect titles. But the competition is fierce with World Cup leader Tina Maze of Slovenia, who can earn trophies in any of the five alpine events, while 2014 big globe winner Anna Fenninger of Austria is also capable of adding a medal to her Super-G Olympic crown from the giant slalom to the downhill. Swiss Lara Gut, winner of the last downhill of the winter in St Moritz, also appears as one of the main threats to Vonn with Liechtentstein’s Tina Weirather and veteran Austrian Liz Goergl. Shiffrin is the arch-favorite in the slalom but the whole of the Swedish team as well as Austria’s Katrhin Zettel are out to topple her. The women’s giant slalom is arguably the most open race of the championships with Maze, Fenninger, fellow-Austrian Eva-Maria Brem and Shiffrin all starting with equal chances. (Editing by Gene Cherry)