ARE, Sweden — Sarah Schleper‘s best race in four years may have moved her a step closer to a fourth Olympics.
Schleper, a 30-year-old from Vail, put down the best time of any skier in the second run of a World Cup giant slalom Saturday, moving her from 19th to eighth for her first top-10 finish since 2006.
Even though she finished more than 1.7 seconds behind winner Tessa Worley of France, it was the kind of performance Schleper needs to make a case for a spot on the U.S. team going to Vancouver.
Vail’s Lindsey Vonn failed to finish the first run.
• Ted Ligety, the Olympic combined champion, finished second behind Austria’s Michael Walchhofer in a World Cup super-G in Val d’Isere, France. He matched his season’s best result, second place in a giant slalom in Soelden, Austria.
Ligety, of Park City, Utah, was 0.28 seconds behind Walchhofer. Italy’s Werner Heel finished third, 0.75 seconds back. American Bode Miller shared ninth place with Didier Cuche of Switzerland.
Wie finishes second
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Michelle Wie‘s late charge fell short at the Dubai Ladies Masters, and In-Kyung Kim of South Korea claimed a three-shot victory at the season-ending tournament for her first European Tour title.
Wie shot a 7-under 65, tied for the day’s best round, but Kim responded with a 4-under 68 that left her at 18-under 270.
• The team of Steve Stricker and Jerry Kelly birdied five of the last six holes to get to 13-under 131 and take a one-stroke lead at the Shark Shootout in Naples, Fla.
• Spain’s Pablo Martin shot a 1-under 71 to take a two-stroke lead over three-time winner Ernie Els and fellow South African Charl Schwartzel in the Alfred Dunhill Championship in Malelane, South Africa.
• Robert Allenby made a 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole for a 5-under 66 and a one-stroke lead at the Australian PGA in Coolum.
U.S. pair Vancouver-bound
LILLEHAMMER, Norway — Christian Niccum and Dan Joye teamed to finish fourth in a World Cup luge doubles race, clinching spots on the U.S. Olympic roster.
• Hannah Kearney of the U.S. won a freestyle World Cup event in Suomu, Finland, and Jesper Bjornlund of Sweden edged American Bryon Wilson in moguls.
• Enrico Fabris of Italy won the men’s 5,000 meters in Kearns, Utah, at the final long-track speedskating World Cup event before the Olympics. Lee Kyou-Hyuk of South Korea won the men’s 500 meters and China’s Wang Beixing the women’s 500 meters.
Footnotes.
Amanda Hanneman and Jessra Johnson, the two leading scorers for Missouri’s women’s basketball team, have been suspended indefinitely after they were arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor assault. The Columbia Daily Tribune reported that the victim was a male cheerleader.
• Vitali Klitschko retained his WBC heavyweight title, winning a unanimous decision over American Kevin Johnson in Bern, Switzerland.
The Associated Press
