Deneriaz takes skiing gold ahead of favourites

FRANCE’S Antoine Deneriaz caused a sensation yesterday by storming to the Olympic Games men’s downhill gold medal ahead of the Austrian and American favourites in alpine skiing’s blue-riband event.

The silver medal went to Michael Walchhofer of Austria and the bronze to Bruno Kernen of Switzerland.

Deneriaz, who mirrored compatriot Jean-Luc Cretier's upset win at Nagano in 1998, underlined his threat by dominating training on Friday, meaning he was last to start from the elite field of 30 racers.

After Walchhofer had set the early pace, and Americans Bode Miller and Daron Rahlves subsequently dropped out of the picture, it appeared the gold medal would stay in Austrian hands after Fritz Strobl's win in 2002.

However, Walchhofer's expression changed shortly after Deneriaz came flying out of the start gate to lead the field from the icy top part of the run all the way to the bottom.

Despite Deneriaz's promising training run the previous day, Walchhofer admitted he never really considered the Frenchman a threat.

"He was a bit further down my list of favourites to be honest," said the 30-year-old, the world downhill champion in 2003 who thus picked up his first Olympic medal.

"He certainly wasn't a co-favourite, but it was a great run for Antoine. It suited him well."

Deneriaz's time of 1:48.80 dropped Walchhofer down to second at 0.72secs with Kernen, who won the 1997 world title at the age of 25, dropping to third at 1.02sec.

"I was hoping for the Olympic gold," said Kernen, who had been tipped by many racers as an outside chance. "But if it's gold or bronze I'm happy. I still got a medal."

Deneriaz, certainly, was one of France's main medal hopes but even the French delegation will be surprised by his achievement.

However the big 29-year-old's determination which means they now have five Olympic downhill winners compared to record-setting Austria's six changed all that.

"I already had a good feeling this morning. When I woke up, it was all I was thinking about," said Deneriaz, who has had a promising season on the slopes having torn ligaments in his knee 13 months ago in Chamonix.

"I just told myself, 'do it, do it, do it'. All week I was telling myself I could do it, and once I'd gone out the gate I just didn't stop attacking. It was really an amazing race for me. When I got to the bottom and realised I'd won, the feeling was huge."

Elsewhere, Lars Bystoel of Norway, currently tenth in the World Cup, won gold in the first ski-jumping competition of the Winter Olympics Sunday, in yet another upset for the top ranked contenders at the Games.