Alpine skiing-Perfect weekend for Mayer, gloom for Maze (Reuters)
(Adds women’s slalom) SAALBACH, Austria, Feb 22 (Reuters) – Olympic downhill champion Matthias Mayer finally made the World Cup mark his talent deserved by winning both races on home snow in Saalbach. In contrast, Slovenia’s Tina Maze endured a dreadful weekend in Maribor, failing to score a point in the two technical races on her home snow to allow World Cup holder Anna Fenninger of Austria close the gap in the overall standings. Mayer, the gifted 24-year-old speed specialist, was an unexpected gold medallist in Sochi last year and he had only repeated his Olympic triumph once in the World Cup, at the Lenzerheide finals last winter. “Now I feel I’m where I should be.” In one minute 31.53 seconds, the Austrian beat Super-G world bronze medallist Adrien Theaux of France by 0.21 seconds and Norway’s Kjetil Jansrud was third, a further 0.04 adrift.