Italy's Deborah Compagnoni felt she was close to perfection as she skied to victory in the giant slalom to claim her second gold medal in five days at the World Alpine Ski Championships.
Thousands of partisan Italian fans celebrated as the new queen of Alpine skiing repeated the feat of Alberto Tomba at last year's world races in Spain, where he also won two golds.The biggest crowd at the worlds in the first week shouted, "Debby, Debby," as horns and drums were also sounded. Italian flags were all over, commonplace in soccer stadiums in Italy but rare on the ski slopes.
"I had a great feeling today as I came down the course. I felt confident, close to perfection," Compagnoni said. "My skis were light and followed an ideal line. And I knew that I was going to win my race, the race I like most."
The 26-year-old skier from Santa Caterina Valfurva, a tiny Alpine village of 300 residents northeast of Milan, equaled Tomba's record of five gold medals in the Olympics and worlds and is becoming a rival for national stardom with the three-time Olympic champion.
Compagnoni, who won Olympic golds in 1992 and 1994, unexpectedly captured the world slalom on Wednesday. On Sunday, her giant slalom win made her only the fourth woman to win back-to-back titles in the same discipline. She won the giant slalom a year ago in Spain.
She is only the fourth woman to win two golds in the same championships.
Compagnoni's double was surprising. She won her first World Cup slalom race at the end of December. Her giant slalom success was more predictable. She won three consecutive World Cup races in that discipline this season.
Compagnoni shrugged off comparisons to Tomba.
"We are different. I'm in my best year, but Alberto has been winning every season since 1987.
"He has also won a World Cup overall title, something I fear I'll never achieve," she said.
Tomba, 30, will be defending his world giant slalom title on Wednesday and the slalom crown on Saturday, the closing day of the championships.
In Sunday's race under blue skies, Compagnoni built up a commanding lead with the fastest first run and fought off a comeback attempt by Switzerland's Karin Roten and France's Leila Piccard in the second run.
Roten, who won the bronze in the slalom earlier in the week, finishing behind Compagnoni and Italian Lara Magoni, got a silver in the giant slalom, trailing the winner by 0.80 seconds.