Alpine Skiing at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games:

Stephan Eberharter had always played Alydar to Hermann Maier's Affirmed. Eberharter was one of the world's greatest skier but he had never won a World Cup title prior to this Games, placing second five times to Maier. But Maier was out, severely injured in an August 2001 motorcycle accident, and he would not return to competition until January 2003. Eberharter had burst on the international scene in 1991, winning World Championships in the Super G and combined, but a series of injuries set him back, even keeping him off the international ski circuit for two years. Now back at the top, Eberharter had been favored in both the downhill and super-G, medaling in both events in Salt Lake, but was unable to win either. In the GS, Eberharter led the first run with 1:11.98, taking a big lead over Italy's Massimiliano Blardone. American Bode Miller had been seventh on the first run, but finished the second run in 1:11.27, and took the lead. When Eberharter came down, he skied aggressively, and narrowly missed catching Miller's time with his own 1:11.30, which finally earned him a gold medal. Norway's Lasse Kjus won bronze, his fifth Olympic Alpine medal.