Austria defends alpine skiing world team title

Christoph Noesig defeated Trevor Philp to ensure Austria defended its team event crown with a 3-1 victory over Canada at the World Alpine Ski Championships.
Noesig on Tuesday stormed down the slalom-style course in 22.84 seconds to finish 0.11 ahead of the Canadian in the lone team competition for national squads at the biennial global showdown.
Sweden took the bronze with a 3-1 victory over Switzerland.
Canada was a surprise finalist, sneaking past Sweden in the semi-finals after ousting Italy in the quarter-finals and Germany in the first round.
Marcel Hirscher, Michaela Kirchgasser and Noesig all won their head-to-head races for Austria against the Canadians.
"It is my second event and I grabbed gold so I can't ask for more," said World Cup points leader Hirscher who claimed his second gold medal of the championships after having won the super-combined on Sunday.
The team event has been staged five times at the Worlds with Austria now winning three gold. France won the title in 2011.
Kirchgasser is the only person to have won three career gold medals in the team event as she and Hirscher went a perfect 4-0 on Tuesday.
Kirchgasser has just one head-to-head defeat to Anemone Marmottan in the final of the 2011 event.
Phil Brown, Erin Mielzynski and Candace Crawford also skied in the final for upstart Canada, who were ranked 10th heading into the competition.
Mielzynski upset technical specialist Eva-Maria Brem by 0.26 in the opening race of the finals before the Austrians won three races in a row.
"I think we are all proud and I am proud of everyone on this team," said Mielzynski. "Everyone fought, it was a close final and it feels good to stand on the podium, especially as a team."
Austria beat Argentina, Norway and Switzerland to reach the final. The Norwegians were without their two stars, Aksel Lund Svindal and Kjetil Jansrud, who flew back to Europe to prepare for the remainder of the World Cup season.
Mikaela Shiffrin made her competition debut in front of her hometown fans Tuesday for the US. The 19-year-old won both her head-to-head races but the American team was eliminated in the quarter-finals by Sweden.
Lindsey Vonn did not race for the Americans, choosing to take the day off and rest her surgically-repaired right knee which she said was bothering her after Monday's ladies super-combined event.
Vonn will take part in training Wednesday to try and get ready for Thursday's giant slalom race.
The team competition took place at Golden Peak Stadium in downtown Vail rather than the mountainside community of Beaver Creek, which hosts all other championship events.
International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said talks are ongoing with the International Ski Federation for the team event to be added to the Olympics lineup.
Source: AFP