Croatian wins downhill event, American drops out of race
Associated Press

SNOWBASIN, Utah — Caroline Lalive’s hopes of joining Bode Miller as an American medalist in the combined event disappeared when she fell in the slalom and dropped out of the event, won by Croatia’s Janica Kostelic.

KRT Campus Germany’s Martina Ertl tries to navigate a gate during the 2nd slalom run of the Women’s Combined Thursday at Snowbasin, Utah.

Kostelic, 20, became the first member of her family to win a medal at the Salt Lake City Games. Her older brother, Ivica, will be a favorite in the men’s slalom next week.

Kostelic skied the race with the letters I-V-I-C-A painted on the nails of her left hand.

She completed the two slalom runs and the downhill that make up the combined event in 2 minutes, 43.28 seconds. She won by nearly 1 second over Renate Goetschl of Austria, who captured her second medal in three days — she won bronze in Tuesday’s downhill.

The bronze medal went to Martina Ertl of Germany. Lindsey Kildow, 17, of Vail, Colo., was sixth in her first Olympic race.

Kostelic, who won the World Cup slalom and overall titles last season, is coming back from September knee surgery that kept her off the World Cup circuit until late December.

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