Champion skier in a slump

Press, 20 February 1988, Page 31

Champion skier in a slump

NZPA-AP Calgary Ingemar Stenmark, the best slalom and giant slalom skier in history, is in the worst slump of his 15-year World Cup career. He hopes the chance of winning his third Olympic gold medal will “fire me up.”

“It’s been very hard for me to concentrate this season. Don’t ask me why,” Stanmark said in a telephone interview from Vail, Colorado, where he is trainin for next week’s Olympic giant slalom and slalom. “I’ve been trying to figure it out, but I can’t find the answer.”

Stenmark, a double gold medallist in the 1980 Winter Games at Lake Placid, five-time world champion and winner of a record 18 World Cup titles, returns to the Games after being barred from the 1984 Olympics for failing to meet the requirements.

It will mark the first time that an athlete has been allowed to compete again after first being banned from the Winter Olympics.

Stenmark arrived at Vail earlier this week for

final Olympic preparations after spending some time with his daughter in his native Sweden. “This is an ideal place to get ready for the Olympics and I’m feeling just fine,” the 31-year-old Stenmark said. “Hardly anyone recognises me and we can train in peace. We’re working out twice a day, doing gate workouts in the morning and then free ski-ing in the afternoon.” Stenmark and the other Swedisn team members concentrated on giant slalom training during their first two days at Vail. The giant slalom, in which Stenmark has won a record 45 races, including 14 straight in 1978-80, will be his first task in the Winter Games. The race is scheduled for February 26, with the slalom two days later.

Stenmark failed to finish the four World Cup races he started in January. He was among the first-run leaders in one of the races, but has failed to put together two good runs.