A Tribute in Honor of

A Tribute in Honor of:

The Winter Olympics Day 5

Olympics-Winter Games trivia

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Five things you may not know about the Winter Olympics. 1. Athletes from countries including Venezuela, India and Brazil belong to a Solidarity Group of the International Luge Federation to encourage development of the sport in their countries. - - - - 2. The mayor of Oslo gave the Olympic flag hoisted at every Winter Games to the IOC at the closing ceremony in 1952. - - - - 3. Salt Lake City is staging 78 medal events - a record. - - - - 4. The first Winter Games to be held outside Europe and the United States were in Sapporo in Japan in 1972. - - - - 5. Sex tests for women were introduced at the Grenoble Games in 1968.

07:30 02-12-02

LINKS:

Olympics-Short track-Men's 1000 metres final results

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Results of the Olympic short track speed skating men's 1000 metres final on Saturday:

1. Steven Bradbury (Australia) 1 minute 29.109 seconds

2. Apolo Anton Ohno (U.S.) 1:30.160

3. Mathieu Turcotte (Canada) 1:30.563

4. Ahn Hyun-Soo (South Korea) 1:32.519

Li Jiajun (China) DQ

22:47 02-16-02

Olympics-Luge-Otto comes through 'tough years' to gold

PARK CITY, Utah, Feb 13 (Reuters) - New women's luge champion Sylke Otto considered quitting the sport after twice failing to make the German Olympic team.

Otto, who won the gold on Wednesday, had made only one other Olympic appearance -- in Albertville in 1992 where he finished 13th.

The 32-year-old soldier failed to qualify for the ensuing two Olympics in 1994 and 1998 due to the depth of talent in the German team. There is a maximum of three slots per nation and Otto consistently placed fourth.

"In retrospect these were 10 tough years, Otto told reporters. "All these failures really hurt me a lot.

"Sometimes I really wanted to quit, but when the summer came round I felt I should continue, which I did and I'm happy I did not give up."

Otto the two-time world champion, also defended Germany's domination in the discipline. The German women have swept the medals at the last three world championships and Germany won all three golds on offer in the luge at the Nagano Olympics.

"Some people say it's boring, that it's always us winning," Otto said. "But if we don't win what will people say then?

"I think it's important for us to win. We can't intentionally slow down," she joked.

22:57 02-13-02

Olympics-Speedskating-Egyed skates her best despite odds

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Hungarian Krisztina Egyed set a national speedskating record in race one of the women's 500 metres at the Utah Olympic Oval on Wednesday, despite skating first and alone - and missing the start.

"I was at the opposite rhythm to the starter," the 25-year-old said. "I was sitting back and he was saying go."

Egyed skated a personal best of 39.47 seconds. It beat her previous best by almost a second, although it was two seconds off Wednesday's leaders.

Egyed threw her arms in the air and gave a thumbs-up sign to the television cameras as she crossed the line.

"I am so happy," she said after the race. "Last year I could not skate under 41 (seconds)."

The previous national record was set in November 1997 but Egyed hopes this time it will last just one day.

"Tomorrow (Thursday) I have to go faster," she said.

"Maybe tomorrow I don't have to skate alone and maybe I don't have to go first."

She got her wish. In race two of the 500 metres event on Thursday she will start in the fourth race and will not be skating alone.

Speedskaters race in pairs, drawing on each other's pace as they speed around the 400-metre track. The best combined time determines the winner.

Egyed started skating with her mother, an ice dancer, when she was two years old. This is her 19th season of competition and her fourth Olympics.

She finished 29th at the 2001 world sprint championships, one place better than a year before.

22:48 02-13-02

Olympics-Speedskating-Egyed skates her best despite odds

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Hungarian Krisztina Egyed set a national speedskating record in race one of the women's 500 metres at the Utah Olympic Oval on Wednesday, despite skating first and alone - and missing the start.

"I was at the opposite rhythm to the starter," the 25-year-old said. "I was sitting back and he was saying go."

Egyed skated a personal best of 39.47 seconds. It beat her previous best by almost a second, although it was two seconds off Wednesday's leaders.

Egyed threw her arms in the air and gave a thumbs-up sign to the television cameras as she crossed the line.

"I am so happy," she said after the race. "Last year I could not skate under 41 (seconds)."

The previous national record was set in November 1997 but Egyed hopes this time it will last just one day.

"Tomorrow (Thursday) I have to go faster," she said.

"Maybe tomorrow I don't have to skate alone and maybe I don't have to go first."

She got her wish. In race two of the 500 metres event on Thursday she will start in the fourth race and will not be skating alone.

Speedskaters race in pairs, drawing on each other's pace as they speed around the 400-metre track. The best combined time determines the winner.

Egyed started skating with her mother, an ice dancer, when she was two years old. This is her 19th season of competition and her fourth Olympics.

She finished 29th at the 2001 world sprint championships, one place better than a year before.

22:48 02-13-02

Olympics-Figure skating-IOC calls on ISU to act quickly

By Robert Woodward

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 13 (Reuters) - IOC president Jacques Rogge stepped into the row over the Olympics figure skating on Wednesday by demanding the sport's ruling body act "as quickly as possible" over the judging of the pairs final.

Rogge met International Skating Union (ISU) president Ottavio Cinquanta to express his concern that the controversy was overshadowing the medal exploits of other athletes.

The judges' decision to award the gold to Russian pair Yelena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze ahead of Canada's Jamie Sale and David Pelletier has been widely condemned and the ISU announced its own inquiry 12 hours after the final.

On Wednesday Cinquanta said referee Ron Pfenning had made "certain allegations" about the judging. Media reports have alleged bloc voting and trade-offs between the judges.

"While the IOC trusts the ISU will take all appropriate decisions, we would like to emphasize the high urgency of the matter and the need to take adequate action as quickly as possible," a letter from Rogge to Cinquanta said.

Skate Canada has launched an appeal against the result and demanded an independent inquiry. The ISU said it would reveal the results of its own investigation on February 18.

International Olympic Committee director general Francois Carrard, speaking after an executive board meeting, declined to say whether he considered February 18 was soon enough.

But he said there was "obviously serious concern" in the IOC about the case. "We are thinking of the athletes, it is very important to act very quickly," he said.

"The IOC advocates quick action because our experience is that with any kind of controversy you have to act fast. We want to ensure the competition goes on as serenely as possible."

On Tuesday, Carrard had said the IOC would not interfere because the responsibility for results lay "first and foremost" with international federations, in this case the ISU, and the IOC had to respect their autonomy.

"This is their call ... they have quite a bit of work to do," Carrard said on Wednesday. "They know better than us how quickly they can take action and it is not up to us to dictate.

"We don't have the reports or the allegations, we are not conducting the assessment procedure."

Carrard said Rogge and Cinquanta had discussed the ice dance competition, which starts on Friday. Media reports have alleged a possible trade-off between judges of countries involved in the pairs with those involved in the ice dance.

"Mr Cinquanta gave his full guarantee that the ice dance will proceed in the most regular way," Carrard said.

22:23 02-13-02

Olympics-Luge-Smooth Sylke extends German stranglehold

By Julia Ferguson

PARK CITY, Utah, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Double world champion Sylke Otto extended Germany's love affair with the women's single luge as she led her team mates to a sweep of the medals at the Salt Lake City Games on Wednesday.

Leading after Tuesday's opening two runs, the 32-year-old extended her lead in the third with a blistering run of 42.94 seconds -- the fastest of the whole competition -- before comfortably protecting her lead down the 1.14 km icy serpentine in her fourth and final run.

That denied Barbara Niedernhuber the gold for the second Games in a row.

Defending champion Silke Kraushaar had to settle for bronze despite producing the fastest start in the final leg.

The win was particularly poignant for Otto, whose winning combined time of two minutes 52.464 seconds gave her a comfortable winning margin of 0.321.

Her long-awaited Olympic laurels were sweet revenge after making her debut at the Games in Albertville in 1992, where she finished 13th.

A soldier by profession, she failed to qualify for the ensuing two Olympics in 1994 and 1998 due to the depth of talent in the German team. There is a maximum of three slots per nation and Otto consistently placed fourth.

Germany -- if the results of the former East Germany are incorporated -- have now won 24 out of 33 medals on offer in the discipline since its inception at the Innsbruck Games in 1964.

American Becky Wilczak gave the home crowd cause for cheer by speeding into fifth for the United States' best result in the women's luge on the Olympic stage.

Austria's Angelika Neuner, bronze medallist at Nagano, came fourth.

21:13 02-13-02

Olympics-Alpine skiing-Wiberg pulls out of women's combined

SNOWBASIN, Utah, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Former champion Pernilla Wiberg has pulled out of Thursday's women's Alpine skiing combined event at the Winter Olympics.

The Swede, who won the combined gold at the 1994 Lillehammer Games, was not listed on Wednesday among the 32 starters and the Olympic website quoted a team official as saying she had suffered a swollen knee after Tuesday's downhill.

The four times world champion was still expected to try to win a fourth career Olympic medal in the super-G on Sunday.

21:52 02-13-02

Olympics-Business is 'awful' during Salt Lake Games

By Deborah Zabarenko

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Business is so bad for merchants in the heart of Salt Lake City during the 2002 Winter Games that the mayor held a news conference on Wednesday to encourage more people to come downtown.

Mayor Rocky Anderson exhorted citizens to venture into the downtown core -- for Olympic medals ceremonies and concerts, sporting events and cultural offerings -- after business people complained that foot traffic is down an estimated 30 percent compared to last February.

"We had businesses that came to us and said we're not seeing the patronage that we had before the Olympics," said Joshua Ewing, a spokesman for Anderson who summarized the mayor's comments.

"The bottom line is that people in surrounding areas for some reason have this belief that it's incredibly hard to get downtown and it'll be real crowded," Ewing said. The mayor countered this perception by urging people to use public transport.

The Olympics have been anything but a business boon, according to Tom Guinney, a partner in the Gastronomy Inc. restaurant group and a board member of the Utah Restaurant Association.

"Salt Lake City is experiencing probably 30 percent of the anticipated foot traffic that we were hoping for," Guinney said in a telephone interview. "It's bad. It's bad. It's awful in the core of our city."

He said the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the Olympics (SLOC) and Utah transit officials have been so concerned with getting athletes and officials to Olympic events securely and on time that they have depressed traffic in the center of the city.

STREETS ARE 'EMPTY'

"What the mayor couldn't say at the press conference is that our streets are significantly less impacted in Salt Lake City than they normally are ... which is another way of saying they're empty," Guinney said.

Asked about this at a news conference, SLOC spokeswoman Caroline Shaw said, "As one who lives and works in the downtown area, I'm certainly no one to disagree with the mayor, but I've seen an increase in people who have been out and about in the city."

Even when the downtown streets are thronged with people, as they are most evenings for Olympic medals ceremonies and concerts, many businesses that have stayed open late to capitalize on the crowds appear nearly empty.

Guinney said restaurant business is off about 45 percent, and other businesses are also feeling the pinch. Pharmacies and dry cleaners said their downtown traffic is off and doctors reported patients were cancelling appointments in the downtown area.

Guinney said he expected this to happen, and said Atlanta and Los Angeles, which hosted Summer Olympic Games in 1996 and 1984 respectively, reported similar decreases in business.

"I wouldn't be surprised if lost business to restaurants and clubs amounted to $20 million," he said.

Richard Wirick of the Oxford Shop shoestore disagreed. A spokesman for the Downtown Merchants Association, which has about two dozen active members, Wirick said business has been good during the games.

"I'm really, really lucky," Wirick said by telephone. "The only reason that (merchants) might not do too well is they (organizers) scared people away, saying the traffic would be so bad."

He said organizers also suggested that downtown businesses close at mid-afternoon to cut down on traffic, a suggestion he ignored. Instead, Wirick said, he stays open late most evenings "to take advantage of the 50,000 people in downtown."

21:05 02-13-02

Olympics-Medals table on the sixth day of competition

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Medals table on the sixth day of competition at the Winter Olympics on Wednesday

Gold Silver Bronze Total

1. Norway 5 3 0 8

2. Germany 4 6 2 12

3. U.S. 3 5 2 10

4. Finland 2 1 1 4

5. Italy 2 1 0 3

6. Switzerland 2 0 1 3

7. Russia 1 2 2 5

8. Austria 1 1 7 9

9. France 1 1 1 3

10. Netherlands 1 1 0 2

11. Estonia 1 0 1 2

12. Spain 1 0 0 1

13- Canada 0 1 1 2

13- Japan 0 1 1 2

13- Poland 0 1 1 2

16. Sweden 0 0 2 2

17- China 0 0 1 1

17- Czech Republic 0 0 1 1

20:58 02-13-02

Olympics-Luge-Medals-Otto leads German sweep in women's singles

PARK CITY, Utah, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Results of the women's single luge at the Winter Olympics on Wednesday:

Gold - Sylke Otto (Germany)

Silver -Barbara Niedernhuber (Germany)

Bronze - Silke Kraushaar (Germany)

20:42 02-13-02

Olympics-Ice hockey-Women's result/standings

PROVO, Utah, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Results of Olympic ice hockey women's preliminary round group A matches on Wednesday

Sweden 3 2 2 - 7

Kazakhstan 0 0 0 - 0

Scorers: Erika Holst (1:08, 35:41), Maria Roth (2:38), Anna

Vikman (11:05), Lotta Almblad (32:27), Kristina Bergstrand

(44:05), Gunilla Andersson (54:46)

Played earlier:

Canada 2 2 3 - 7

Russia 0 0 0 - 0

Scorers: Hayley Wickenheiser (11:37), Danielle Goyette

(18:00, 58:50), Dana Antal (20:31), Cherie Piper (29:14),

Jennifer Botterill (47:48), Isabelle Chartrand (58:12)

P W L T F A Pts

1. Canada 2 2 0 0 14 0 4

2. Sweden 2 2 0 0 10 2 4

3. Russia 2 0 2 0 2 10 0

4. Kazakhstan 2 0 2 0 0 14 0

20:15 02-13-02

Olympics-Luge-FIL consider rule changes after accident

PARK CITY, Utah, Feb 13 (Reuters) - The International Luge Federation (FIL) are considering changing the qualifying rules for international races following a crash in which a volunteer track worker lost part of his finger.

Drake Self, 49, lost the top of his finger to the base of his fingernail while trying to stop a runaway sled belonging to Venezuelan Iginia Boccalandro during the first run of the women's singles competition on Tuesday.

"There have been a lot of discussions, but they (the FIL) haven't figured out exactly what they want to do," FIL spokesman Wolfgang Harder told Reuters on Wednesday.

"They know that they have to do something as they want to avoid an accident like yesterday's in the future.

"This is a racing sport and we can try to do everything for security, but there's always a chance of accidents," he added.

FIL President Josef Fendt said in a statement: "We must prevent excesses like these. We still have to figure out how to address this, but it's clear we must do something."

Boccalandro, who was 28th out of 29 in Nagano four years ago, was ranked 39th in last season's World Cup standings, competing in just three races -- the minimum to be eligible for the Olympics.

The 40-year-old fell off during the women's competition at Utah Olympic Park. The sled stopped and then started sliding back towards Boccalandro when Self tried to stop it. He was taken to hospital and later released.

20:15 02-13-02

Olympics-Black Hawk helicopters have Games rescue duty

By Deborah Zabarenko

WEST JORDAN, Utah, Feb 13 (Reuters) - You've heard of "Black Hawk Down?" Captain Daniel Anderson wants you to get to know "Black Hawk Up."

Unlike the doomed flight of a U.S. UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter that is the focus of a recent feature film, the Black Hawks based at this National Guard outpost are meant to support security at the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Some of these workhorse helicopters fly patrols around Salt Lake City, looking for aircraft that violate a vast circle of restricted airspace that encompasses all the Olympic venues.

The ones based in West Jordan are fitted as flying ambulances, capable of carrying six patients on stretchers, or seven ambulatory patients. By Wednesday, they had made only training runs, but were ready to fly on 10 minutes notice.

Black Hawk helicopters can carry heavy weaponry, but these are unarmed.

"Our motto is Black Hawk Up," Anderson said, explaining that U.S. National Guard troops from Arizona, Montana, Idaho and other states had converged at this base outside Salt Lake City during the Games to maintain and act as crew the Black Hawk fleet.

Army National Guard Major Robert Spano, commander of the 126th Medical Company Air Ambulance, said his unit is based in northern California, where mountainous terrain similar to Utah's makes for accurate training conditions.

"One of the things that really helps our mission along is, year-round, California's really filled with some sort of disaster," Spano said in an interview. In summertime, the Black Hawks fly with huge buckets of water slung beneath them, ready to put out wildfires. In winter, they can go into snowy, mountainous areas to rescue those trapped there.

Troops around Salt Lake City were on alert as a matter of course during the Olympics, even before the FBI warned earlier this week of a possible terror attack against the United States or U.S. interests in Yemen.

Brigadier General James Johnson, head of Olympic planning, said this latest warning would not change the level of vigilance of U.S. troops.

"We've always been vigilant," Johnson said in an interview. "We were concerned going into this and we've maintained that high level of vigilance and we will continue to do so. It has not changed anything."

Johnson commands more than 5,000 troops from active and reserve components of the U.S. armed forces.

20:14 02-13-02

Olympics-Biathlon-Factfile on Kati Wilhelm

SOLDIER HOLLOW, Utah, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Factfile on Kati Wilhelm, winner of the biathlon women's 7.5 km sprint at the Winter Olympics on Wednesday:

Age: 25 (born Aug 2 1976, Schmalkalden)

Country: Germany

Switched to biathlon after some mediocre results in cross-country skiing. Struggled to break into the German team, but ended up winning sprint gold at the last world championships. Will only compete in the sprint and sprint relay at Salt Lake. Wears a red hat for luck and has dyed her hair to match for the Winter Games.

Past Olympics: Represented Germany as a cross-country skier at the Nagano Games in 1998, finishing fifth in the relay.

Other successes: Took two medals on her biathlon world championship debut at Bled-Pokljuka in Slovenia last December. Won gold in the sprint and took silver as part of the German relay team. Won first World Cup race at Lake Placid last year. Currently eighth in this year's standings.

Reaction: "I feel even more happy because I succeeded in finishing the competition without any mistakes in shooting."

20:14 02-13-02

Olympics-Alpine skiing-Wiberg pulls out of women's combined

SNOWBASIN, Utah, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Former champion Pernilla Wiberg has pulled out of Thursday's women's Alpine skiing combined event at the Winter Olympics.

The Swede, who won the combined gold at the 1994 Lillehammer Games, was not listed on Wednesday among the 32 starters and the Olympic website quoted a team official as saying she had suffered a swollen knee after Tuesday's downhill.

The four times world champion was still expected to try to win a fourth career Olympic medal in the super-G on Sunday.

21:52 02-13-02

Olympics-Alpine skiing-Wiberg pulls out of women's coOlympics-Alpine skiing-Wiberg pulls out of women's combined

SNOWBASIN, Utah, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Former champion Pernilla Wiberg has pulled out of Thursday's women's Alpine skiing combined event at the Winter Olympics.

The Swede, who won the combined gold at the 1994 Lillehammer Games, was not listed on Wednesday among the 32 starters and the Olympic website quoted a team official as saying she had suffered a swollen knee after Tuesday's downhill.

The four times world champion was still expected to try to win a fourth career Olympic medal in the super-G on Sunday.

21:52 02-13-02
mbined

SNOWBASIN, Utah, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Former champion Pernilla Wiberg has pulled out of Thursday's women's Alpine skiing combined event at the Winter Olympics.

The Swede, who won the combined gold at the 1994 Lillehammer Games, was not listed on Wednesday among the 32 starters and the Olympic website quoted a team official as saying she had suffered a swollen knee after Tuesday's downhill.

The four times world champion was still expected to try to win a fourth career Olympic medal in the super-G on Sunday.

21:52 02-13-02

Olympics-Ice hockey-Canada's Joseph ready 'to come up big'

By Alan Crosby

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 13 (Reuters) - In 1998 Curtis Joseph sat and waited for his Olympic tournament to begin. Four years later the Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender is still waiting.

But he knows the moment is nearing and when it comes, he'll be ready.

Joseph was the third string goalie for the Canadian team in Nagano, and with Patrick Roy logging every minute of the team's disappointing fourth place finish, he could only watch as his teammates battled for Olympic gold.

Though Canadian coach Pat Quinn still has not said who will start in net for Canada, he has said he will rotate Joseph and Martin Brodeur, who also sat on the sidelines in Nagano, at least for the beginning of the Salt Lake Games.

"No news yet," the 34-year-old Joseph told a news conference on Wednesday when asked whether he had heard from Quinn, his coach with the Leafs, on a decision.

"(But) there are challenges to a short series. You need to be on your game right away."

Joseph has not had the kind of all-star season he is accustomed to in the NHL.

His 2.26 goals against average fails to crack the top 15 in the league and his .905 save percentage doesn't even rank in the top 40, leading some in hockey-crazed Canada wondering if he is capable of leading the country to gold.

But he has also compiled the league's third highest win total this year - 27 - and has looked strong in net for the Leafs since the Christmas break.

"I think I am playing real well and I'm confident about my game," he said.

With six of the NHL-laden teams boasting an array of sharpshooters, goaltending will be key to winning the gold.

Having watched the Czech Republic ride the acrobatics of Dominik Hasek to gold in Nagano, Joseph knows first-hand how much the team will depend on the man between the pipes to provide the last line of defense.

"With the wider ice surface, the players have more room and time to make plays. But as a goaltender I'll also have some pretty good players in front of me," he said, downplaying his role.

I think we are real strong as a unit. I've watched Martin (Brodeur) and Eddie (Belfour) play a lot of playoff games. We have a lot of experience and wins among us."

Whomever takes the net for Canada, they will bear not only the weight of the team, but also the hopes of a nation and almost 50 years of Olympic disappointment.

Hockey has a rich history in Canada and the game has become part of the national fabric.

Canada last struck gold in 1952 and following its fourth place finish in Nagano - the first Olympics to allow NHL players - it has called upon hockey legend Wayne Gretzky to be executive director and assemble a team that will restore the country to its believed place atop hockey's summit.

The pressure each night will be like an overtime period in the seventh game of the Stanley Cup finals. Joseph says he's ready. Friday night, after four years of waiting, he may finally get a chance to prove it.

"It's time to come up big," Joseph said.

20:13 02-13-02

Olympics-Medals table on the sixth day of competition

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Medals table on the sixth day of competition at the Winter Olympics on Wednesday

Gold Silver Bronze Total

1. Norway 5 3 0 8

2. Germany 4 6 2 12

3. U.S. 3 5 2 10

4. Finland 2 1 1 4

5. Italy 2 1 0 3

6. Switzerland 2 0 1 3

7. Russia 1 2 2 5

8. Austria 1 1 7 9

9. France 1 1 1 3

10. Netherlands 1 1 0 2

11. Estonia 1 0 1 2

12. Spain 1 0 0 1

13- Canada 0 1 1 2

13- Japan 0 1 1 2

13- Poland 0 1 1 2

16. Sweden 0 0 2 2

17- China 0 0 1 1

17- Czech Republic 0 0 1 1

20:58 02-13-02

Olympics-Luge-Sexual innuendos abundant in doubles luge

By Deborah Charles

PARK CITY, Utah, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Sports fans are getting used to seeing elite athletes competing in skin-tight suits. But the sight of two men in body-fitting clothing lying on top of each other careening down an icy course can be unsettling.

The doubles event is considered the most technically challenging in luge. But it has been the brunt of many jokes.

And when you raise the possibility of a mixed team of one man and one woman the jokes increase.

Whether they admit it or not, most people who watch the luge events can't help but notice how the thin, skin-tight suits and positioning on the sled -- with a strap that forms a "V" around the groin -- highlights the athlete's sexual organs.

In the doubles events the heavier man rides on top, with little visible but the head and the legs of the smaller slider seated underneath. The racer on top also has his arms underneath the knees of his team mate.

Most lugers say the reason there are no mixed teams has to do with body weight and strength -- a mixed team could not match the strength of a two-man team.

And there are the inevitable sexual questions as well.

"You can't help but think about it," said one volunteer on the course at Utah Olympic Park. "I never knew women could be a part of a doubles team, but that would sure raise questions. Just seeing the two men on top of one another makes you think."

In the 1990s, as part of an effort to increase the number of women taking part in the Winter Olympics, the rules were changed to allow women to be a part of the doubles team.

But so far no women have competed in the Olympics doubles.

"I don't know why really," said Wolfgang Schadler, head coach for the U.S. luge team.

"Maybe it's because they start very young, like when they're 10 or 12 and find a partner. If the kids are very young maybe two guys would bond together better than a boy and a girl -- though maybe later they would feel different," he said with a laugh.

The lugers say it is all about strength.

"It's a physical thing," said Canadian Chris Moffat, who rides in the front position in the doubles event. "Most girls don't get as strong."

His partner Eric Pothier shrugged off the question of sexual tension with a female partner.

"We'd do it -- it's no problem. There's just no women who want to do it."

In fact many men who race singles luge don't want to switch to doubles, where the pair need to work for years together in order to fully understand each other's moves and positioning.

In addition the man riding on the bottom has to have complete confidence in the front racer, because he cannot see.

"He can't see and I can see but can't steer," said Moffat. I've got to relay everything through him."

But the rush they get zooming down the course at 75 miles per hour is worth it.

"It's like the X-Games of luge. It's like when you're a kid and you double up on the toboggan -- you go much faster," said Moffat.

20:12 02-13-02

Olympics-Biathlon-Factfile on Kati Wilhelm

SOLDIER HOLLOW, Utah, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Factfile on Kati Wilhelm, winner of the biathlon women's 7.5 km sprint at the Winter Olympics on Wednesday:

Age: 25 (born Aug 2 1976, Schmalkalden)

Country: Germany

Switched to biathlon after some mediocre results in cross-country skiing. Struggled to break into the German team, but ended up winning sprint gold at the last world championships. Will only compete in the sprint and sprint relay at Salt Lake. Wears a red hat for luck and has dyed her hair to match for the Winter Games.

Past Olympics: Represented Germany as a cross-country skier at the Nagano Games in 1998, finishing fifth in the relay.

Other successes: Took two medals on her biathlon world championship debut at Bled-Pokljuka in Slovenia last December. Won gold in the sprint and took silver as part of the German relay team. Won first World Cup race at Lake Placid last year. Currently eighth in this year's standings.

Reaction: "I feel even more happy because I succeeded in finishing the competition without any mistakes in shooting."

20:14 02-13-02

Olympics-Alpine skiing-Aamodt has gold in sights again

By Alan Baldwin

SNOWBASIN, Utah, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Norway's Kjetil Andre Aamodt had a sixth Olympic medal firmly in his sights on Wednesday after stacking up a commanding lead in the men's combined event.

World champion Aamodt, with a gold, two silvers and two bronzes from three previous Games, had led compatriot Lasse Kjus by 0.18 after the downhill and steamed away in the first slalom run to stretch the margin to 1.02 seconds.

Norway were set fair for a one-two finish with the Austrians and American Bode Miller hoping for a mistake from the two 'Attacking Vikings'.

Austria's medal contender Michael Walchhofer crashed out of the slalom but Benjamin Raich was third, 1.68 behind Aamodt while Rainer Schoenfelder roared up to fourth a further one hundredth of a second adrift.

The crowd gasped as Miller almost fell in the downhill but he had exactly the same time as Aamodt in the first slalom run and moved up to fifth place, 2.44 off the Norwegian's lead.

Aamodt, chasing the 16th major medal of his record- breaking career and now less than a minute away from taking the gold, started the day as overwhelming favourite after winning at the last three world championships.

"It's going to be an all-Norwegian battle," said Norway's Alpine ski team spokesman Lars Otto Bjoernland.

"If everything runs normally, they will fill the first two places, with a slight advantage for Kjetil."

Kjus is also a medal collector, taking a silver in Sunday's men's downhill for the 14th of his career from Olympics and world championships.

MILLER STILL HOPING

America's big hope was Miller, who has taken four World Cup wins this winter in the technical disciplines, and he put on a brave face after the slalom run.

"I needed to have a good run of downhill and two good runs of slalom. I just made too many mistakes, not small ones but really big ones" he said.

"But I think that I can still do it. I'm going to go full gas in the second run and I think I still have a chance."

If anyone can do it, Miller can after a season that has seen him pulverise some of Europe's trickiest slopes with hefty winning margins.

The Austrians, who had entered the event full of confidence, would have been closer to the Norwegians had Raich not undermined his chances with an error-ridden downhill run to 13th place, 2.26 seconds behind Aamodt.

20:11 02-13-02

Olympics-Salt Lake airport given all-clear after anthrax scare

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 13 (Reuters) - An anthrax scare at Salt Lake City International Airport proved to be without foundation after further testing, Utah's health department said.

A positive result had come from a regular airport screening late Tuesday afternoon, said the department's deputy director, Dr Scott Williams, in a statement.

The scare came on the fifth day of the 2002 Winter Olympics, which are based in Salt Lake City and at various venues around Utah.

"Further testing, which is significantly more accurate, commenced immediately," Williams said, adding that emergency response teams had been put on alert.

"Definitive tests conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Department of Health established the samples were negative," Williams said. "The relevant response teams were not deployed because there is no danger to public health."

Anthrax spores in letters killed 5 people and made 13 more ill last October, in the weeks after the September 11 attacks on the United States.

20:11 02-13-02

Olympics-Biathlon-Factfile on Ole Einar Bjoerndalen

PARK CITY, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Factfile on Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, winner of the men's 10 km biathlon at the Winter Olympics on Wednesday.

Age: 28 (born Jan 27 1974, Drammen)

Country: Norway

If he's not first, he's usually second. The 1998 World Cup winner, he has finished runner-up in the competition every year since.

He won the 10 km Olympic biathlon sprint title in 1998 -- he didn't miss any of his 10 targets that day -- but has never managed to win a world individual title, despite 10 medals.

Added the 20 km Olympic gold medal to his haul on Monday -- despite missing two shots -- but could only manage sixth in the 30 km cross-country.

Ditched soccer to take up biathlon and cross-country skiing aged 10. Focused on biathlon alone from 16, until deciding to double up again for the Salt Lake Games.

Often trains with France's three time world champion Raphael Poiree. A great fan of Formula One world motor racing champion Michael Schumacher.

Past Olympics: 1998 - biathlon 10 km sprint gold, relay silver. Failed to shine on his debut four years earlier.

Other successes: 10 world championship medals, the only gold coming in the biathlon relay in 1998.

Reaction: "I concentrated a lot when shooting. And I think I am finally finding good form."

20:10 02-13-02

Olympics-Medals table on the sixth day of competition

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Medals table on the sixth day of competition at the Winter Olympics on Wednesday

Gold Silver Bronze Total

1. Norway 5 3 0 8

2. Germany 4 6 2 12

3. U.S. 3 5 2 10

4. Finland 2 1 1 4

5. Italy 2 1 0 3

6. Switzerland 2 0 1 3

7. Russia 1 2 2 5

8. Austria 1 1 7 9

9. France 1 1 1 3

10. Netherlands 1 1 0 2

11. Estonia 1 0 1 2

12. Spain 1 0 0 1

13- Canada 0 1 1 2

13- Japan 0 1 1 2

13- Poland 0 1 1 2

16. Sweden 0 0 2 2

17- China 0 0 1 1

17- Czech Republic 0 0 1 1

20:58 02-13-02

Olympics-Ice hockey-Brotherly love on hold

By Alan Crosby

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Oh brother, where art thou?

For Robert Reichel, the answer to that question when his Czech Republic team takes the ice against Germany on Friday will likely be: Right in front of you, with a hockey stick between your legs and a glove in your face.

Chosen months in advance to represent the Olympic champions, Robert Reichel has long known he will be on the ice when the NHL shuts down and the final round of the tournament begins on February 15.

But on Tuesday, the Reichel family received an Olympic-sized bonus when younger brother Martin Reichel helped Germany defeat Latvia to move into the final round as well.

"We have played against each other before, really, it's not a big deal in some ways," says Martin, who moved to Germany just after the fall of communism in the former Czechoslovakia in 1989 and now has a German passport.

"It's probably hardest on our parents, but no matter what happens, after the game we go back to being brothers."

Martin Reichel, who plays for Nuremberg in the German ice hockey League, is two years younger than Robert, a forward with the Toronto Maple Leafs and one of the heroes of the Czech victory in Nagano.

Robert was the only player out of 10 shooters to score in a semifinal penalty shootout against Canada, putting his team into the final where it beat Russia 1-0.

The two play a similar gritty style and both are talented with the puck. But you wouldn't know they are brothers before or during the game.

"We don't talk before the game, and once it begins you are too focused on what is happening. But afterward, sure we will talk, we're brothers," says Robert.

The two faced off twice before Salt Lake in the world ice hockey championships in 1996 and 1997, with Robert getting the best of the his brother both times.

The Reichels are not, however, the first brothers to oppose each other on Olympic ice.

Frantisek Pikal laced up his skates in the 1960 Olympics for Czechoslovakia while his brother Zdenek played for Australia in its only Olympic ice hockey tilt.

Both Reichels are looking to avoid what happened to that ill-fated team: Six losses and no wins.

20:10 02-13-02

Olympics-Ski jumping-Factfile on Simon Ammann

PARK CITY, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Factfile on Simon Ammann who won the ski jumping high hill at the Winter Olympics on Wednesday:

Age: 20 (Born June 25 1981, Grabs)

Country: Switzerland

Unheralded before the Games -- he had never finished inside the top 25 in an individual Olympic or world championship event before -- he completed only the second ski jumping double in Olympic history and the first for 14 years.

Started jumping aged nine, squeezing the sport in around his schoolwork. Suffered head and back injuries in training just before the Games, sidelining him from competition and forcing him to prepare as best he could with training sessions. His coach in the crowd was shaking his head in disbelief after Ammann's first jump on Wednesday and punching the air in amazement after the second. Ammann said his first win was "unbelievable." Switzerland had not won a ski jump Olympic medal since 1972.

Also likes snowboarding, skating, volleyball and mountain biking.

Previous Olympics: Competed at Nagano aged 16, finishing 35th in the normal hill, 39th in the high, sixth in the team event.

Other successes: 26th in the normal hill at the 1999 world championships. Best overall World Cup finish 45th in 1999-2000. Four World Cup top-five finishes in late 2001, currently ninth in this season's standings.

Reaction: "I'm shaking all over! (At the top) I was as nervous as I had to be."

20:09 02-13-02

Olympics-Biathlon-Men's 10 km sprint results

SOLDIER HOLLOW, Utah, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Results of the Olympic biathlon men's 10 km sprint final on Wednesday

1. Ole Einar Bjoerndalen (Norway)

24 minutes 51.3 seconds (0 penalties)

2. Sven Fischer (Germany) 25:20.2 (1)

3. Wolfgang Perner (Austria) 25:44.4 (0)

4. Ricco Gross (Germany) 25:44.6 (1)

5. Wolfgang Rottmann (Austria) 25:48.8 (2)

6. Pavel Rostovtsev (Russia) 25:50.1 (1)

7. Victor Maigourov (Russia) 25:50.9 (0)

8. Frode Andresen (Norway) 25:51.5 (2)

9. Raphael Poiree (France) 25:56.9 (2)

10. Ludwig Gredler (Austria) 26:04.3 (2)

11. Oleg Ryzhenkov (Belarus) 26:05.5 (0)

12. Vadim Sashurin (Belarus) 26:09.9 (0)

13. Halvard Hanevold (Norway) 26:12.5 (0)

14. Zdenek Vitek (Czech Republic)26:14.0 (1)

15. Michael Greis (Germany) 26:18.4 (2)

16. Paavo Puurunen (Finland) 26:24.7 (1)

17. Bjoern Ferry (Sweden) 26:30.5 (2)

18. Wojciech Kozub (Poland) 26:31.9 (1)

19. Timo Antila (Finland) 26:33.4 (1)

20. Jeremy Teela (U.S.) 26:36.6 (2)

21. Vincent Defrasne (France) 26:36.7 (2)

22. Rene Cattarinussi (Italy) 26:37.3 (1)

23. Tomas Globocnik (Slovenia) 26:40.0 (1)

24. Egil Gjelland (Norway) 26:42.5 (1)

25. Vesa Hietalahti (Finland) 26:43.2 (0)

26. Jay Hakkinen (U.S.) 26:43.5 (1)

27. Marko Dolenc (Slovenia) 26:47.0 (1)

28. Carl Johan Bergman (Sweden) 26:47.1 (1)

29. Frank Luck (Germany) 26:47.7 (2)

30. Dimitri Borovik (Estonia) 26:50.1 (2)

31. Tomasz Sikora (Poland) 26:59.3 (1)

32. Tomas Holubec (Czech 27:01.8 (1)

Republic)

33. Serguei Roussinov (Russia) 27:04.3 (1)

34. Roman Dostal (Czech Republic)27:04.9 (2)

35. Julien Robert (France) 27:05.1 (2)

36. Vyacheslav Derkach (Ukraine) 27:05.3 (1)

37. Aleksei Aidarov (Belarus) 27:06.4 (2)

38. Andriy Deryzemlya (Ukraine) 27:11.1 (1)

39. Marek Matiasko (Slovakia) 27:12.6 (1)

40. Ilmars Bricis (Latvia) 27:17.3 (2)

41. Kyoji Suga (Japan) 27:21.0 (1)

42. Marian Blaj (Romania) 27:25.5 (1)

43. Robin Clegg (Canada) 27:28.3 (2)

44. Janez Maric (Slovenia) 27:28.6 (2)

45. Janno Prants (Estonia) 27:29.2 (3)

46. Olegs Maluhins (Latvia) 27:30.7 (3)

47. Petr Garabik (Czech Republic)27:30.9 (2)

48. Indrek Tobreluts (Estonia) 27:31.1 (2)

49. Paolo Longo (Italy) 27:31.9 (0)

50. Wilfried Pallhuber (Italy) 27:35.7 (1)

51. Sergei Rozhkov (Russia) 27:39.8 (4)

52. Jekabs Nakums (Latvia) 27:40.9 (1)

53. Ruslan Lysenko (Ukraine) 27:43.1 (2)

54. Lawton Redman (U.S.) 27:43.4 (2)

55. Roland Zwahlen (Switzerland) 27:43.7 (1)

56. Zhang Qing (China) 27:45.3 (1)

56. Aleksandr Syman (Belarus) 27:45.3 (3)

58. Wieslaw Ziemianin (Poland) 27:47.0 (2)

59. Saso Grajf (Slovenia) 27:52.6 (2)

60. Gueorgui Kassabov (Bulgaria) 27:55.8 (1)

61. Krzysztof Topor (Poland) 28:02.2 (3)

62. Hidenori Isa (Japan) 28:03.6 (2)

63. Henrik Forsberg (Sweden) 28:04.0 (6)

64. Jean Marc Chabloz 28:08.6 (1)

(Switzerland)

65. Gundars Upenieks (Latvia) 28:11.9 (3)

66. Gilles Marguet (France) 28:20.1 (4)

67. Matthias Simmen (Switzerland)28:22.8 (3)

68. Devis Da Canal (Italy) 28:25.9 (2)

69. Yukio Mochizuki (Japan) 28:28.5 (2)

70. Roland Lessing (Estonia) 28:34.4 (2)

71. Jason Sklenar (Britain) 28:43.4 (4)

72. Mark Gee (Britain) 28:57.8 (2)

73. Olli-Pekka Peltola (Finland) 28:58.5 (1)

74. Michael Dixon (Britain) 28:58.7 (1)

75. Imre Tagscherer (Hungary) 29:08.6 (3)

76. Roman Pryma (Ukraine) 29:16.1 (3)

77. Aleksandr Tropnikov 29:30.2 (2)

(Kyrgystan)

78. Tord Wiksten (Sweden) 29:39.5 (4)

79. Dmitriy Pantov (Kazakhstan) 29:46.3 (5)

80. Shin Byung-Kook (South Korea)29:51.1 (2)

81. Ricardo Oscare (Argentina) 30:00.2 (3)

82. Liutauras Barila (Lithuania) 30:01.4 (5)

83. Mihail Gribusencov (Moldova) 30:02.2 (2)

84. Zarko Galjanic (Croatia) 30:33.0 (3)

85. Stavros Cristoforidis 31:51.4 (2)

(Greece)

86. Carlos Varas (Chile) 32:48.1 (0)

Christoph Sumann (Austria) DNF (2)

20:09 02-13-02

Olympics-Alpine skiing-Aamodt leads Norwegian charge

By Patrick Vignal

SNOWBASIN, Utah, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Kjetil Andre Aamodt and Lasse Kjus were heading for a Norwegian one-two on Wednesday after leading the men down the mountain in the opening part of the Olympic combined event.

World champion Aamodt, chasing the 16th major medal of his record-breaking career, beat friend and rival Kjus by 0.18 of a second in the downhill ahead of the decisive slalom in the afternoon.

"It's going to be an all-Norwegian battle," said Norway's Alpine ski team spokesman Lars Otto Bjoernland.

"If everything runs normally, they will fill the first two places, with a slight advantage for Kjetil."

Kjus took a silver medal in Sunday's men's downhill, the 14th of his career from Olympics and world championships, while Aamodt has won 15 with five of them at Winter Games. He has also claimed both World Cup combineds this season.

Italy's Patrick Staudacher was in third place, 0.44 behind Aamodt with Switzerland's Paul Accola well-placed in fourth, 0.83 off the pace.

Accola is competing in his fifth Games, 14 years after capturing a combined bronze in Calgary in 1988.

U.S. big hope Bode Miller, who has four World Cup wins this winter in the technical disciplines, faced a huge task in the afternoon with 2.44 seconds to make up after a modest 15th place.

SCARE FOR MILLER

Miller was lucky to stay in the competition, almost falling but using all the strength in his legs to recover.

"It was sketchy, especially when I (nearly) fell. It was actually a little bit scary, I was heading right towards the (team) coaches," Miller said.

His medal hopes appeared to have receded but the American remains in with a shout after pulverising slalom hills this season with an all-or-nothing style that has brought hefty winning margins.

The Austrians, who had entered the event full of confidence, had Michael Walchhofer still in contention with the fourth fastest time 1.15 seconds off the lead.

Walchhofer's team mate Benjamin Raich seriously undermined his chances with an error-ridden run for 13th place 2.26 seconds behind Aamodt.

"The conditions were really difficult with a whole section of the piste in the shade," said Raich.

"My position is obviously not ideal but a lot can happen in the two slalom runs."

But confident Bjoernland said: "I think the Austrians and the other favourites are too far back."

20:09 02-13-02

Olympics-Ski jumping-Ice-cool Ammann seals crazy double

By Adrian Warner

PARK CITY, Utah, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Swiss youngster Simon Ammann produced one of the biggest surprises of the Olympics on Wednesday when he became only the second man to complete the normal hill and high hill double in the history of the Games.

After upsetting pre-event favourites Sven Hannawald of Germany and Pole Adam Malysz in Sunday's normal hill, the 20-year-old Swiss showed astonishing composure to win the high hill event after going into the final round dead level with the more experienced Hannawald.

Ammann, just back from injury, produced a final jump of 133.0 metres for a total of 281.4 points to match the double achieved by Finn Matti Nykanen at the 1988 Calgary Games. The high hill event was added to the programme in 1964.

"This is a crazy day, a crazy week," the Swiss said. "I never thought I would win again."

Hannawald, who had to settle for silver in the normal hill, made a poor landing on his second effort of 131.0 metres and finished out of the medals in fourth.

Malysz, the bronze medallist on Sunday, took the silver medal, some way back with 269.7 points, with Finn Matti Hautamaeki third.

Ammann's form at Salt Lake has been remarkable considering that he was forced to miss key events in the build-up to the Games after suffering concussion in a training crash in January.

The Swiss could only finish 35th and 39th in the normal and high hill at the 1998 Games when he was only 16. He had shown good form in the World Cup before his crash but was never expected to achieve the double in Salt Lake.

Ammann, however, said: "The crash (last month) seems to have helped. I used it to take a break and that helped me to deal with the stress and concentrate on the Olympics."

HIGH DRAMA

The first round could not have been more dramatic.

Ammann produced an effort of 132.5 metres before Hannawald jumped exactly the same distance and got the same style points to leave the two jumpers in equal first ahead of Malysz who jumped 131.0.

In the final round Ammann jumped before Hannawald, who made history last month by becoming the first man to win all of the Four Hills events in one season.

Despite his youth, the Swiss kept his nerve superbly. Hannawald failed to match his distance -- or his mental strength -- as he struggled to land the jump properly.

Ammann added: "I never felt so good before -- really! I was a nervous as I had to be.

"At the top, that is simply my place. No interviews. No questions, nothing that would make me nervous."

He argued: "Being the last jumper is more tense. You know everybody has finished. It is a shame that Sven fell. I feel sorry for him."

20:10 02-13-02

Olympics-Alpine skiing-Wiberg pulls out of women's combined

SNOWBASIN, Utah, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Former champion Pernilla Wiberg has pulled out of Thursday's women's Alpine skiing combined event at the Winter Olympics.

The Swede, who won the combined gold at the 1994 Lillehammer Games, was not listed on Wednesday among the 32 starters and the Olympic website quoted a team official as saying she had suffered a swollen knee after Tuesday's downhill.

The four times world champion was still expected to try to win a fourth career Olympic medal in the super-G on Sunday.

21:52 02-13-02

Olympics-Medals table on the sixth day of competition

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Medals table on the sixth day of competition at the Winter Olympics on Wednesday

Gold Silver Bronze Total

1. Norway 5 3 0 8

2. Germany 4 6 2 12

3. U.S. 3 5 2 10

4. Finland 2 1 1 4

5. Italy 2 1 0 3

6. Switzerland 2 0 1 3

7. Russia 1 2 2 5

8. Austria 1 1 7 9

9. France 1 1 1 3

10. Netherlands 1 1 0 2

11. Estonia 1 0 1 2

12. Spain 1 0 0 1

13- Canada 0 1 1 2

13- Japan 0 1 1 2

13- Poland 0 1 1 2

16. Sweden 0 0 2 2

17- China 0 0 1 1

17- Czech Republic 0 0 1 1

20:58 02-13-02

Olympic Skaters Go For The Gold Using The Irresistible Music of bond; Also Heard on their CD born Released by Decca Records

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 13, 2002--

Popular Female Quartet Heard In Pairs & Men's

Olympic Skating Competitions Broadcast On NBC

Haylie, Eos, Tania and Gay-Yee are the four young, exciting women who are collectively known as bond. Selections from their dramatic and compelling debut Decca CD, Born have been heard throughout the Olympic skating competitions this week, broadcast by NBC.

Gold medal hopeful Alexi Yagudin from Russia skated his short program Tuesday evening to the quartet's rousing tune, "Winter." Earlier in the week, the group's unmistakable hit "Victory" was used during pair skating - the same song prominently featured on Raymond Weil watches multi-million dollar television ad campaign, which used visuals of bond performing the track as well.

Consisting of four classically trained musicians, bond plays electric violins, viola and cello. Using original music and arrangements, they also incorporate tinges of everything from trance and house music to salsa and traditional East European folk songs. These genre-defying instrumentals - which are wildly popular on an international scale -- lend themselves perfectly to the emotional sport of figure skating, and the highly dramatic Olympic moments seen around the world.

bond's debut album Born has reached a truly global status in 2001. After a year of intensive promotional tours of Europe, North and South America, Australia and Asia, bond is now platinum in Bulgaria, New Zealand and Turkey. They are also gold in Australia, Belgium, Chile, France, Hong Kong, Italy, Korea, Singapore, Sweden, Thailand and the UK. In fact, The Guinness Book of World Records presented bond with an award for the highest entry into the UK pop charts ever for a female instrumental band. While making history overseas, they have also been making a splash here in the U.S., with simultaneous positions on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart, Classical Crossover Chart and New Artist Chart, where they spent numerous weeks at #1.

Audiences of all ages have fallen in love with their unusual blend of classically influenced melodies and danceable pop beats. People Magazine described born as "irresistible ear candy," while USA Today called them "glamorous" and "provocative."

Olympics-Biathlon-Factfile on Kati Wilhelm

SOLDIER HOLLOW, Utah, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Factfile on Kati Wilhelm, winner of the biathlon women's 7.5 km sprint at the Winter Olympics on Wednesday:

Age: 25 (born Aug 2 1976, Schmalkalden)

Country: Germany

Switched to biathlon after some mediocre results in cross-country skiing. Struggled to break into the German team, but ended up winning sprint gold at the last world championships. Will only compete in the sprint and sprint relay at Salt Lake. Wears a red hat for luck and has dyed her hair to match for the Winter Games.

Past Olympics: Represented Germany as a cross-country skier at the Nagano Games in 1998, finishing fifth in the relay.

Other successes: Took two medals on her biathlon world championship debut at Bled-Pokljuka in Slovenia last December. Won gold in the sprint and took silver as part of the German relay team. Won first World Cup race at Lake Placid last year. Currently eighth in this year's standings.

Reaction: "I feel even more happy because I succeeded in finishing the competition without any mistakes in shooting."

20:14 02-13-02

Olympics-Ski jumping-Ammann seals historic double

PARK CITY, Utah, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Switzerland's baby-faced Simon Ammann served up his second shock victory of the Games as he won the high hill on Wednesday, completing the first Winter Olympics ski jumping double for 14 years.

In the process the 20-year-old wrecked Sven Hannawald's Olympics as the German favourite cracked under pressure to miss the medals.

Ammann, who resembles the book and film character Harry Potter, was level with Hannawald after a fine first jump of 132.5 metres before bettering that with 133 in the second and final round. He ended with a total of 281.4 points.

Hannawald, going last and attempting to match him, fell on landing to drop to fourth.

Poland's Adam Malysz, the reigning World Cup champion, won the silver and Matti Hautamaeki of Finland the bronze.

The double has only been achieved once before in Winter Olympic history, by Finland's Matti Nykanen at Calgary in 1988. He went on to add a third gold in the team event.

13:39 02-13-02

Olympics-Ski jumping-Medals-Ammann wins high hill and double

PARK CITY, Utah, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Medal winners in the ski jumping high hill at the Winter Olympics on Wednesday:

Gold - Simon Ammann (Switzerland)

Silver - Adam Malysz (Poland)

Bronze - Matti Hautamaeki (Finland)

13:26 02-13-02

Olympics-No positive dope tests so far at Winter Games

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 13 (Reuters) - No positive dope tests have been recorded so far at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics which opened last Friday.

Salt Lake City Organising Committee members told a news conference on Wednesday four percent of the athletes at the Games had been tested since January 29 and 80 percent of the tests had been completed.

Nine hundred blood tests were earlier conducted on athletes in the endurance events.

13:02 02-13-02

Olympics-Ski jumping-Ammann seals historic double

PARK CITY, Utah, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Switzerland's baby-faced Simon Ammann served up his second shock victory of the Games as he won the high hill on Wednesday, completing the first Winter Olympics ski jumping double for 14 years.

In the process the 20-year-old wrecked Sven Hannawald's Olympics as the German favourite cracked under pressure to miss the medals.

Ammann, who resembles the book and film character Harry Potter, was level with Hannawald after a fine first jump of 132.5 metres before bettering that with 133 in the second and final round. He ended with a total of 281.4 points.

Hannawald, going last and attempting to match him, fell on landing to drop to fourth.

Poland's Adam Malysz, the reigning World Cup champion, won the silver and Matti Hautamaeki of Finland the bronze.

The double has only been achieved once before in Winter Olympic history, by Finland's Matti Nykanen at Calgary in 1988. He went on to add a third gold in the team event.

13:39 02-13-02

Figure skating-ISU says cannot change pairs result

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 13 (Reuters) - The International Skating Union (ISU) said on Wednesday it could not change the result of the pairs competition at the Winter Olympics.

Figure skating's ruling body announced an inquiry into judging after Russian pair Yelena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze were controversially awarded the pairs title ahead of Canada's Jamie Sale and David Pelletier on Monday evening.

"I have not the power to change the result, we cannot change the result of the competition," said ISU president Ottavio Cinquanta. "I am not a judge of the judges, I am the president of the ISU."

"We have started an assessment and we are doing this assessment," Cinquanta told a news conference.

He said the allegations surrounding the judging would be discussed at an ISU meeting on February 18.

He added the ISU would not change the judges for the ice dance competition. There have been allegations of a trade-off between judges of countries in the pairs competition with those involved in the ice dance.

13:37 02-13-02

Olympics-Freestyle skiing-Moguls racing hard on the knees

By Deborah Charles

DEER VALLEY, Utah, Feb 13 (Reuters) - If you have bad knees, freestyle moguls may not be the right sport for you. Just ask Evan Dybvig.

The 26-year-old American, skiing without his right anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after tearing it three months ago, re-injured the knee on Tuesday while landing at the end of the qualification round of the men's Olympics moguls event.

Dybvig, a sentimental favourite because he was also skiing without a left ACL that had been injured six years ago, had decided not to have surgery to repair the right ACL in order to be able to compete in the Winter Games.

Physical therapists and team officials said Dybvig knew the possible consequences of his decision, but decided to proceed anyway.

"If he had had surgery he wouldn't be able to ski here," said U.S. freestyle skiing coach Jeff Wintersteen. "He has been skiing with an unstable knee for a long time."

It seems that knee injuries, reconstructive surgery and knee braces are an inevitable part of freestyle skiing.

In moguls racing, skiers race down a steep hill covered with bumps. Their knees take the brunt of the force as they seek the fastest way down the course then absorb the landings after they execute two jumps high in the air.

Skiers competing in the aerials event don't batter their knees much skiing down the slopes but make them absorb a huge amount of force on the landing after soaring as high as a four-storey building.

Melinda Roalstad, medical director for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, said most of the knee injuries occur when a skier lands back on their skis and catches a ski in the snow or is unsteady on the landing and twists the wrong way.

GOLD MEDAL KNEE INJURIES

Dybvig isn't the only freestyle skier with knee problems.

Aerials gold medal favourite Jacqui Cooper of Australia snapped her ACL and damaged her knee joint on Monday after landing wrong in training.

And both 2002 moguls gold medallists -- Kari Traa of Norway and Finland's Janne Lahtela -- have had repeated knee problems. Lahtela missed half of last year's competitions after tearing his ACL and meniscus and Traa has torn both of her ACLs and had four surgeries to repair meniscus, or cartilage, damage.

Roalstad said a group from Norway, supported by the International Ski Federation, is conducting a study on knee injuries to try to better understand how they happen in order to try to prevent them.

From what U.S. team officials can determine, another major source of knee pain, in addition to ACL and meniscus tears, are injuries of the joint surface of the knee.

This can be a serious problem, especially among younger skiers. It rarely shows up on tests like MRIs that are used to diagnose injuries so some skiers may just accept the pain and ski on -- which could lead to more problems later in life.

"We really have to think about the long-term effects of these injuries," Roalstad said. "Especially in younger kids with significant injuries, I think it's important we take our time in bringing them back so they don't just re-injure themselves."

Tell that to Olympic hopefuls.

07:02 02-13-02

Olympics-Alpine skiing-Goetschl resumes hunt for missing gold

By Patrick Vignal

SNOWBASIN, Utah, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Austria's Renate Goetschl insists she feels no pressure as she resumes her chase for an elusive Olympic gold medal in Thursday's Alpine skiing women's combined.

The pre-race favourite for Tuesday's downhill, the gifted all-rounder managed only third place in a race won by France's Carole Montillet.

The 26-year-old, competing in all five events at the Salt Lake City Games, gets another chance to grab the most precious metal in an event she has dominated this winter with two victories in as many World Cup races.

"Let's see," she said when reminded about her status as the favourite for a competition in which the times from a downhill and a slalom, both raced on the same day here, are added to determine the winner.

"I'm happy now that the downhill is over and that I have a medal," Goetschl added. "Now I don't have any pressure on me. I'll just do my best."

While tasting success with two world championship gold medals and an overall World Cup title, Goetschl has so far suffered mostly disappointments at Olympics.

Making her debut as a 19-year-old in 1994 in Lillehammer, she fell in the downhill and was sent home.

Four years ago in Nagano, she crashed in the downhill and her all-or-nothing tactics again cost her dear in the combined as she skied out on the first slalom run.

WATCH OUT FOR SPONRING

Standing in Goetschl's way will be compatriot and arch- rival Michaela Dorfmeister as well as another Austrian, teenager Christine Sponring.

A silver medallist on home snow in the combined of last year's world championships in St Anton, the 18-year-old clocked remarkable times during the downhill training runs down the tricky Wildflower piste and will definitely be one to watch.

The danger from the mighty Austrian squad will come mostly from the German team, who boast two serious specialists in Martina Ertl and Hilde Gerg.

The German women monopolised the combined medals four years ago in Nagano with Ertl and Gerg placing second and third respectively in an event won by Katja Seizinger, who is now retired. World champion, Ertl has struggled lately but Gerg is in great form and will be hungry for a trophy after narrowly missing out on a medal in Tuesday's downhill.

Croatia's Janica Kostelic, last season's overall World Cup champion, needed time to recover from a nasty knee injury and still looks some way from her brilliant best.

Then there is Pernilla Wiberg. The popular 31-year-old Swede, who won combined gold at the 1994 Games, is taking part in her last Olympics.

Many are hoping she can add another medal to her impressive collection, just to see her smile.

05:03 02-13-02

Olympics-Short track-Apolo ready for Winter Games launch

By Steve Keating

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Short track barges its way into the Olympics on Wednesday with the final of the women's 1,500 metres the sport's first medal event.

But most eyes will be on American Apolo Ohno who launches his bid for four Olympic golds in preliminaries for the 1,000 metres and 5,000 metre relay.

The focus of a race fixing controversy during the U.S. Olympic trials that threatened for a short while to knock him out of the Games, Ohno will attempt to put the attention back on the ice following an ugly arbitration hearing that cleared the 19-year-old of any wrong doing.

The cover boy of Sports Illustrated's Olympic preview edition and tipped to become one of the Games brightest stars, Ohno's biggest challenge will come from South Korea's Kim Dong- sung and China's Li Jiajun who took gold and silver in the 1,000 metres in Nagano.

Li also got the better of Ohno at last year's world championships in Seoul beating the American into second place.

Ohno and team mates Rusty Smith and Ron Biondo will join forces in the relay won by Canada at the 1998 Games.

In the women's battle for gold, Yang Yang (A) and Yang Yang (S) - the letters were added to distinguish between the two namesakes - will attempt to give China their first ever Winter Games gold medal.

Yang Yang (A), who was going to retire after the Nagano Games, has dominated the sport in recent years, winning the last five world titles.

However, at Nagano she failed to win an individual medal while her younger team mate took silver in all three women's events.

Yang Yang (A) tuned up for the Games by breaking her own 1,000 metre world record at a meet in Calgary just four days before the opening ceremony.

American Amy Peterson, a four-time Olympian who carried the U.S. flag in the opening ceremony, will be the sentimental favourite.

Peterson finished fourth in the 1,000 metres at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano but already has a relay silver medal from the 1992 Albertville Games and a pair of bronze medals from the relay and 500 metres in Lillehammer.

03:13 02-13-02

Olympics-Alpine skiing-Home fans wait for Miller's time to come

By Alan Baldwin

SNOWBASIN, Utah, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Home fans still without a 2002 Olympic medal in Alpine skiing hope Bode Miller will have them stomping their feet in Wednesday's men's combined.

The New Hampshire skier is the best medal prospect in the American team and it will be a real disappointment if he should fail to produce something special.

With bubbly compatriot Picabo Street now retired after failing to win her third career Olympic medal in Monday's downhill, Miller could even become the first American skier to win three medals.

More impressively, he could do it in one Games since he is also a medal prospect in slalom and giant slalom.

He said. "You go out to race and to win and if you can't do it then they sympathise with you. They don't get mad at you for not winning.

"I'll go out and ski hard and fast and if I make it to the finish I think I've got a good chance."

But first Miller will have to take on the medal collecting Norwegians Kjetil-Andre Aamodt and Lasse Kjus.

Aamodt has a men's record of 15 medals from Olympics and world championships while Kjus lags one behind on 14 after taking a silver in Sunday's men's downhill.

Aamodt will be the favourite after winning both combined events -- a downhill and a slalom -- staged on the World Cup circuit so far this winter.

But Kjus seems to have hit championship form just when it matters and can expect to edge Aamodt in the opening downhill after doing just that on Sunday.

Austria's Michael Walchhofer, formerly a slalom specialist, has taken expertly to the speed events and was second fastest in a depleted training field on Tuesday.

Favourites: Kjetil-Andre Aamodt (Norway), Lasse Kjus (Norway), Bode Miller (U.S.), Michael Walchhofer (Austria).

Final run starts 1500 (2200 GMT).

03:04 02-13-02

Olympics-Luge-Track worker loses fingertip trying to stop sled

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 12 (Reuters) - A track worker at the Winter Olympics lost the tip of his finger trying to stop a runaway sled on Tuesday, organisers said.

The sled belonged to Venezuelan Igninia Boccalandro who fell off during the women's competition. The sled stopped and then started sliding back towards Boccalandro when Drake Self, 49, tried to stop it.

He lost the top of his finger to the base of his fingernail, a statement said. He was taken to hospital and later released.

02:22 02-13-02

Olympics-Alpine skiing-Montillet conquers insomnia to win gold

By Robert Woodward

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Having emerged from a personal crisis that left her sleepless in Salt Lake City, Carole Montillet now wants more medals to add to her downhill Olympic gold.

Sitting in the French team headquarters, Montillet - relaxed and seemingly happy to talk for hours - said she had not slept until a couple of nights before the Snowbasin race that was to change her life forever.

"It was real insomnia - that's what persuaded me that if I couldn't get some rest it wasn't worth racing, it wasn't worth risking my life," she said Tuesday night.

She would not spell out what the problem was, and she never mentioned the name of Regine Cavagnoud, but she appears to have overcome a personal crisis linked to the death of her team mate late last year.

"I don't want now to sit back and have a few drinks," she told reporters after becoming the first Frenchwoman to win the Olympic downhill. "I've got a good chance in the super-G.

"I know I've achieved something spectacular. It feels rather strange and I don't really believe it. Perhaps tomorrow it will hit me."

For years Montillet skied in the shadow of Cavagnoud. Following the death of the world super-G champion late last year, it all got too much for the normally cheerful Montillet.

Constant references to Cavagnoud, who died in a training accident, and Montillet's assumption of the role of mother to her younger team mates left the 28-year-old exhausted.

When the rest of the French team left for a pre-Olympics training camp in the Rocky Mountains and the World Cup headed for Are in Sweden, Montillet instead went to relax in San Diego with her boyfriend.

Elected as flag-bearer at the opening ceremony of the Olympics, Montillet was still finding it hard to concentrate on the job in hand when the Games began.

"After the first training runs, it seemed impossible for me to do anything. But I built myself up and the trainers helped me, and suddenly I recovered my smile and I was happy again," she said.

Certainly the mood was ecstatic in the French camp on Tuesday night, especially as they also had Richard Gay's bronze medal in the moguls to celebrate.

"It's been a very, very good day for French sport with two exceptional medals," said Henri Serandour, president of the French Olympic committee, as the champagne flowed.

02:20 02-13-02

Olympics-Timetable for sixth/seventh day of competition

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Timetable for the sixth and seventh day of competition at the Winter Olympics on Wednesday and Thursday (all times GMT)

Wednesday, February 13

Ski jumping 1530 - High hill pre-qualifying 1630 - High hill first round 1730 - High hill final round

Curling 1600 - Men's round robin - Switzerland v Finland 1600 - Men's round robin - Britain v Norway 1600 - Men's round robin - Germany v U.S. 1600 - Men's round robin - Denmark v Sweden 2100 - Women's round robin - U.S. v Canada 2100 - Women's round robin - Germany v Japan 2100 - Women's round robin - Norway v Switzerland 2100 - Women's round robin - Sweden v Denmark 0200 (Thursday) - Men's round robin - Britain v Germany 0200 (Thursday) - Men's round robin - Canada v France 0200 (Thursday) - Men's round robin - Sweden v Switzerland 0200 (Thursday) - Men's round robin - Norway v U.S.

Alpine skiing 1700 - Men's combined downhill 2000 - Men's combined slalom first run 2200 - Men's combined slalom second run

Biathlon 1800 - Men's 10km sprint 2030 - Women's 7.5km sprint

Ice hockey 1800 - Women's preliminary round - Russia v Canada 2100 - Women's preliminary round - Sweden v Kazakhstan 2300 - Men's preliminary round - Switzerland v Belarus 0200 (Thursday) - Men's preliminary round - France v Ukraine, group B

Luge 2300 - Women's singles run 3 0040 - Women's singles run 4

Speed skating 0000 (Thursday) - Women's 500 metres race 1

Short track 0100 (Thursday) - Women's 1500 metres heats 0145 (Thursday) - Men's 1000 metres heats 0230 (Thursday) - Women's 1500 metres semifinals 0300 (Thursday) - Men's 5000 metres relay semifinals 0330 (Thursday - Women's 1500 metres finals

Thursday, February 14

Nordic combined 1530 - Team normal hill trial round 1730 - Team normal hill final round

Curling 1600 - Women's round robin - Germany v Norway 1600 - Women's round robin - Russia v Britain 1600 - Women's round robin - Denmark v U.S. 1600 - Women's round robin - Japan v Switzerland 2100 - Men's round robin - Canada v Sweden 2100 - Men's round robin - Switzerland v U.S. 2100 - Men's round robin - Denmark v Germany 2100 - Men's round robin - Finland v France 0200 (Friday) - Women's round robin - Russia v Denmark 0200 (Friday) - Women's round robin - U.S. v Swizerland 0200 (Friday) - Women's round robin - Sweden v Norway 0200 (Friday) - Women's round robin - Canada v Britain

Cross-country 1615 - Men's 10km classical 1900 - Men's 10km pursuit

Snowboarding 2000 - Men's parallel giant slalom qualification

Alpine skiing 1700 - Women's combined dowhill 2000 - Women's combined slalom first run 2200 - Women's combined slalom second run

Ice hockey 1800 - Women's preliminary round - Finland v Germany 2200 - Men's preliminary round - 11th/12th placement 2300 - Women's preliminary round - China v U.S. 0300 (Friday) - Men's preliminary round - 9th/10th placement 0400 (Friday) - Men's preliminary round - 13th/14th placement

Speed skating 0000 (Friday) - Women's 500 metres race 2

Figure skating 0045 - Men's free skate

02:00 02-13-02

Olympics-Medals table on the sixth day of competition

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Medals table at the start of the sixth day of competition at the Winter Olympics on Wednesday

Gold Silver Bronze Total

1. U.S. 3 4 2 9

2. Norway 3 3 0 6

3. Germany 2 3 1 6

4- Finland 2 1 0 3

4- Italy 2 1 0 3

6. Russia 1 2 2 5

7. Austria 1 1 5 7

8. France 1 1 1 3

9. Netherlands 1 1 0 2

10- Estonia 1 0 1 2

10- Switzerland 1 0 1 2

12. Spain 1 0 0 1

13- Canada 0 1 1 2

13- Japan 0 1 1 2

15- China 0 0 1 1

15- Czech Republic 0 0 1 1

15- Poland 0 0 1 1

15- Sweden 0 0 1 1

02:00 02-13-02

Olympics-Ice hockey-Germany stays in medal hunt

By Alan Crosby

PROVO, Utah, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Germany outmuscled and outsmarted Latvia 4-1 to clinch the top spot in Group A at the men's Olympic ice hockey tournament on Tuesday and book the last spot left in the final round.

Germany, which surrendered only three goals in its three preliminary round games, joins Canada, Sweden and reigning champions the Czech Republic in Group C for the final round.

Russia, Finland and the United States were joined by Belarus, which clinched Group B on Monday with a win over France.

The surprising Germans used their size advantage to win most of the skirmishes in the corners and cause problems in front of the net as Latvia goaltender Arturs Irbe of the Carolina Hurricanes was given little chance to see the puck.

Barely four minutes into the game the Germans had built a 2-0 lead on goals by Martin Reichel and Leonard Soccio.

"We started quick and every game we have scored the first goal," said Soccio.

Latvia tried to claw its way back with a goal by Aigars Cipruss, but the Germans' tight defensive stance and the solid goaltending of Marc Seliger proved too much.

Stefan Ustorf and Klaus Kathan added insurance markers as undefeated Germany (3-0) looks for its first medal since the former West Germany took a bronze in 1976.

"We stuck with our system, our goalie played awesome. But we are not going to now roll over and lay down to let everyone walk all over us," said German captain Stefan Ustorf.

Germany's only dilemma after the preliminary round will be what to do about goaltending. Washington Capitals star Olaf Kolzig will be available to play but Seliger has a goals against average of one per game at the Olympics so far.

"We have three good goaltenders, and I will decide on a daily basis who will play," said German coach Hans Zach.

In the day's other Group A action, Gerhard Unterluggauer scored midway through the final period to lift Austria to a 3-2 victory over Slovakia.

Neither Austria nor Slovakia, however, will advance to the next round of the Olympic tournament, having been knocked out by their poor results earlier in the week.

Unterluggauer blasted a 20-foot wrist shot over the shoulder of Slovakia netminder Jan Lasak for the only score of the third period.

"The game of hockey is very strange, we lost the first couple of games and don't make the final eight, and that is the biggest disappointment," said Slovak captain Robert Petrovicky.

Slovakia, 0-2-1 in the preliminary round, was hurt by an NHL rule which kept most of the country's top players from leaving their teams to play in Salt Lake.

00:38 02-13-02