SNOWBASIN ? If the women's downhill skiing Olympic contest had been Saturday, the U.S. Ski Team would have cleaned house.
But it wasn't. It was Day One of training.
Still, results were encouraging. Picabo Street marked the fastest training run, and teammate Caroline Lalive was second fastest. Another American, Jonna Mendes, was among the top three for a good part of the race. She finished sixth.
"I think you can bet on the Americans. I really do," Street said. "Like I've been telling you all week, and I'm going to reiterate. You ask me where my greatest competition is coming from; it's coming right off my own team."
On the men's side, on the second and final training day, it was Austria that sent seismic waves through the men's field.
If Austria skiers don't win medals in the men's downhill ?one, two or three, or, for that matter, possibly all three ? it could be the biggest upset of the 2002 Winter Games.
In training runs Saturday, the Austrians finished second through seventh. And that was with its top two skiers ? Stephan Eberharter and Fritz Strobl ? backing off the accelerator.
American Daron Rahlves may have discovered he has limitations, and that he'd better ski within them in the men's downhill gold-medal run at 10 a.m. today.
"I tried some things today . . . and I didn't do that well," he said . "It made me wake up a little and say, 'Hey, I can't be pushing myself that hard.' I know what's going to work for me, but I skied over my head today. I need to stay with the tactics I used the first day."
On the first practice day Thursday, Rahlves was third behind Eberharter and Strobl. He finished 16th on Saturday.
The race favorite is Eberharter. He has won five of the eight World Cup downhill races this season. Strobl has won one.
Eberharter admitted he's had a good season and shrugged and smiled when asked if he let up a little in practice.
"I know I'm in good shape I don't think so much about tomorrow. I'll handle that like another World Cup race. That's what I'm trying to do. We'll see what we get tomorrow."
First in training on Saturday was Pierre-Emmanuel Dalcin of France. His time was 1:39.84 seconds. Strobl was second in 1:39.93 and Eberharter was third in 1:40.15.
The women were to have started training Friday, but snow and wind closed the course. Runs on Saturday were the first for many of the world competitors.
For the U.S. team, however, skiing the women's Wildflower run was like a class reunion. They'd all be there before. Street won a race on the very course last year.
Mendes said she was very comfortable on the course.
Street said the Americans were very comfortable with the course. "We know it as well as anyone. We're excited to be racing here, to be in America and racing as an American."
The women's race will be at Snowbasin on Monday starting at 10 a.m. But top times on training day means nothing, skiers are quick to point out. Training is a time, said Herwig Demschar, alpine director for the Salt Lake Organizing Committee and a former ski coach, when racers try and match equipment with snow conditions. Kind of a test-and-tune period. Racers said Saturday that snow conditions were "grabby."
Demschar said that's simply the way Utah snow is.
"They're not complaining. It just means they need to adjust. It reacts very quickly. It's like choosing different tires for a car race. You use tires that are harder or softer. Here, the edges are a little more dull or they're not."
Race conditions Sunday for the men's event are expected to be very similar to those on Saturday.
E-mail: grass@desnews.com