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UPDATE 2-Alpine skiing-Eberharter wins downhill race and cup

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By Alister Doyle

KVITFJELL, Norway, March 6 - Austria's Stephan
Eberharter won the 2004 downhill World Cup on Saturday with a
victory in an Alpine ski race that put him back into a fight to
retain his overall title.

"This was a perfect day for me," said Eberharter, who in
January became the oldest race winner in the history of the
World Cup. "Winning the downhill globe was my goal before the
season."

"Anything else would be a bonus," he said after winning both
the race on the Kvitfjell course, site of the downhill in the
1994 Olympics, and his third downhill crystal trophy in a row.

Eberharter, who will turn 35 on March 24, finished well
ahead of his only two remaining rivals for the downhill title,
compatriot Hermann Maier and American Daron Rahlves, and is now
third in a tight race for the overall trophy behind Maier and
American Bode Miller.

He clocked one minute 43.41 seconds, 0.04 ahead of
compatriot Fritz Strobl -- equivalent to an advantage of about
one metre over the 3.03-km course.

Frenchman Antoine Deneriaz celebrated his 28th birthday by
coming third in 1:43.77, with Rahlves fourth.

Maier, making a comeback after a 2001 motorcycle accident in
which he almost lost a leg, was ninth and said he picked the
wrong type of skis after thinking that it would be icier.

"It was too warm and I made a lot of mistakes," he said
after the race under partly sunny skies.

NEXT SEASON

Eberharter said the chances that he would continue competing
next year were 50-50. With victory in a downhill in Kitzbuehel
in January, he eclipsed Austrian Leonhard Stock in the World Cup
winners' age rankings.

"I like the sport, it's my life and so long as you're
successful then it's no problem," he said. But he added that he
was starting to think of doing other things.

Since his first downhill victory at Lake Louise, Canada, in
November 2000, Eberharter has won 18 races and had 11 second or
third places in 40 downhill starts. He won the overall title in
2003 and 2002.

He has 771 downhill points, 234 more than Maier with just
one downhill race left, at the World Cup finals in Sestriere,
Italy, which start on Wednesday. A win is worth 100 points.

Maier, a former bricklayer and three times World Cup overall
winner, recaptured the overall World Cup lead from Miller who
trailed in 26th. Maier, one of the favourites for Sunday's
super-G here, leads with 1,105 with Miller second on 1,089.

"I was completely out of it today. I got too much speed at
the top and must have made 10 mistakes," Miller said.

Eberharter's win gives him 1,061 points in total and lifts
him to third overall past Austrian Benjamin Raich on 1,013.
Slalom specialist Raich produced one of the best downhill
performances of his career with 17th place.

The season has five races left -- Sunday's super-G and a
race in each discipline in Sestriere. Neither Eberharter nor
Maier normally ski the slalom.

(Additional reporting by Patrick Lang)

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