SWISS DOMINATION ENDED Italian wins gold medal

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32838, 11 February 1972, Page 20

SWISS DOMINATION ENDED Italian wins gold medal

fN.Z.P. A.-Reuter—Copyright) SAPPORO. Gustavo Thoeni, of Italy, yesterday ended Switzerland’s domination of alpine events at the Winter Olympic Games with a spectacular win in the men’s giant slalom.

The 20-year-old Thoeni lived up to his World Cup-winning form of last season with a brilliant second run down the tricky Mount Teine course, which clinched Italy’s first gold medal of % the Games.

The Swiss skiers, who had won all three previous alpine events, this time had to settle for the silver and bronze. ! Edmund Bruggman pulled! up from tenth after the first run to take the silver, and’ his team-mate, Werner Mattle, jumped from eleventh to win the bronze. The New Zealander, C. Womersley, finished thirtyfifth in the giant slalom. His team-mate, R. Ewington, was disqualified. U.S. DOUBLE The United States completed a skating double when the 16-year-old schoolgirl and .world record-holder, Anne | Henning, won the 500 metres (speed skating in an Olympic [record of 43.335ec. Dianne iHolum gave the Americans [their first gold of the Olympics, in the 1500 metres. Two Russians, Vera Krasnova and Ludmila Titova, were second and third to Miss Henning. The Norwegian, Paal Tyldum, broke the Russian stranglehold on cross-country events, winning the 50-kilo-metre snow marathon, the toughest event of the Games, in 2hr 43min 14.755ec. BRONZE THIS TIME Another Norwegian, Magne Myrmo, finished second, and the Russian Vietiches Vedenine, the gold medallist in the 30-kilometre race six days ago, was pushed back to third. The win by 29-year-old Tyldum, who was second to

Vedenine over the shorter distance, gave Norway its second gold of the Games. With 23 events decided so far, Russia still leads the medal race with four golds, followed by East Germany, Netherlands and Switzerland with three each.