The world's top skiers return to Europe where Tina Maze can breathe easier at home after winning three gold and Marcel Hirscher continues his quest for a historic fourth straight overall title.
The two World Cup points leaders took turns grabbing the limelight at the World Alpine Ski Championships with Maze stealing the show the first week and Hirscher taking over in the second before being upset in the slalom on the final day.
Maze finished with three medals, including two gold (downhill and super-combined) and a silver in the super-G while Hirscher struck gold in super-combined, and Nations Team Event and a silver in giant slalom.
Maze is Slovenia's best sportswoman and along with two-time Stanley Cup winning hockey player Anze Kopitar one of the greatest Slovenian athletes of all-time.
- Top 10 in all five disciplines -
She was the only skier in the World Championships to finish in the top 10 in all five disciplines. There was a price to pay for her heavy workload as it left her out of gas by the end of the two weeks of competition.
But there is no time to rest, as Maze heads to Europe for a World Cup race this coming weekend on her home soil of Maribor, Slovenia.
Maze, 31, went through a range of emotions in Beaver Creek -- from the high of winning the downhill to the low of placing eighth in the final slalom race.
When she is on her game she's enjoyable to watch, doing cartwheels after wins and joking with reporters about her age at the post-race news conferences. But she's also one of the hardest working athletes on the circuit.
"I am most proud of the downhill medal because it was a hard downhill and it was challenging to ski. I managed to understand the course and I won it," she said. "The combined is also big for me and the super-G."
She is one of just six women who have won in all five World Cup events and one of three women who have won in all five disciplines in a single season.
Maze admits she might have spread herself a bit too thin in Beaver Creek trying to equal Lasse Kjus' record of five individual medals in a single Worlds.
After finishing off the podium in slalom Saturday and skiing on fumes the final few days, she talked about how difficult it is to ski every discipline.
"It was the best World Championships for me and I am really proud of that," Maze said. "But finishing like [slalom] that is tough. I felt like I was on the limit. I was tired and could not ski the way I wanted.
"You need to be careful not to burn yourself out."
Like Maze, Hirscher started strong but then ran out of gas on the final day in the men's slalom. Hirscher produced the fastest first run Sunday and appeared to be heading to Austria's sixth gold when disaster struck and he missed a gate, handing the crown to surprise winner Jean-Baptiste Grange of France.
- Austrians top medal table -
Hirscher, who turns 26 next month, helped lead the Austrians to first place in the medal standings. Austria finished with five gold, three silver and one bronze to easily beat runner-up USA who had five medals, including two gold.
Hirscher leads the World Cup points standings with 1,014 points, 180 points ahead of second place Kjetil Jansrud of Norway.
Hirscher's silver medal came in his signature event, the giant slalom, where he lost to American Ted Ligety, who light up the home crowd with a flawless second run.
But with his two gold and a silver in Beaver Creek, Hirscher sent out a message that he will be the man to beat for years to come.
Source: AFP