Skiing: Maier's comeback brings out the crowds

Austria's Hans Knauss posted his first victory of the season yesterday with a win on one of the World Cup circuit's most difficult giant slalom courses, but had to share the spotlight with teammate Hermann Maier, skiing his first race since almost losing his leg 18 months ago.

Knauss, fourth after the opening leg, won in a two–run combined time of 2 minutes 29.68 seconds, thanks to a blistering second leg combined with several blunders from the field's best.

World giant slalom champion Michael von Gruenigen, the winner of two races this season, generated a riot of clanging cow–bells, finishing second on home snow in 2:29.77.

Norwegian alrounder Kjetil–Andre Aamodt was third in 2:29.93.

Didier Cuche, the winner here last year, had posted the fastest time of the opening leg, but straddled a gate his second trip down.

Austria's Benjamin Raich, the second–quickest in the opening leg, also went out near the top of the course, prompting the young Austrian to lean forward and shout his frustration helplessly into the snow.

A concentrated Hermann Maier silenced the excited Swiss crowd in the first leg, making his first World Cup appearance since almost losing a leg in a motorbike accident in August 2001.

But it was a frustrating comkeback for the Herminator.

Looking only to qualify after such a long time off, Maier finished a frustrating 31st, just one spot and .05 seconds away from advancing to the second run.

American Erik Schlopy, fourth in the last giant slalom in Kranjska Gora, was another casualty of the steep Kuonisbaergli course – considered the most difficult giant slalom of the tour.

Schlopy lost control as his carving ski sent him spinning off course, with the American careening wildly into the safety netting and colliding with a course worker standing there.

Both were unhurt, but the winded Schlopy spent several moments recovering on the side of the slope.

American Bode Miller lost his left ski in the opening run for the second time this season, his binding unclipping just before the 13th gate.

"It's a bummer. It's disappointing. It's frustrating. It's the second time this season," said Miller, who lost a ski in a slalom in Park City. "But you can't really blame the binding. It's a different kind of binding, there's no forward pressure. It's actually a really good binding if it stays on.

"Hopefully it'll stay on next time."

Most skiers were able to put their results into perspective in the light of Maier's hard–fought return from grievous injuries.

Once the all–dominant skier on the World Cup, Maier's career nearly came to a premature end when he almost lost a leg in a horrific motorcycle crash in August 2001.

The 1998 two–time Olympic champion had not competed since his accident. His last race was a giant slalom on March 10, 2001, in Are, Sweden, which he won. He was expected to make a comeback in October but re–injured his leg last August in Chile while gate skiing for the first time since the crash.