Austria answers critics, sweeps slalom medals

Austria responded to the doping saga dogging them all week by flying down Italy's slopes yesterday to claim the three top spots in the Winter Olympics' final Alpine event and retain their high placing in the medals' table with one day to go.

The three men served up a stellar performance, showcasing their country's dominance in the slalom - one of the most testing events in the mountains.

It was only the third time in Olympic history that a country had swept the board in a men's Alpine race.

They capped a day of brilliant sporting achievement.

A German man was crowned the most successful athlete at the Games, a Canadian woman added to her collection of Winter and Summer Olympic medals and Sweden, cheered by their King, enjoyed their first medal in biathlon.

"We could not count on this kind of situation, even though we've been fast this season, but for it to go like this - one, two, three - right at the end, that's a dream," Austrian coach Toni Giger said.

Austria last took all the medals in the 1956 giant slalom and Norway filled the combined podium at the 1994 Games in Lillehammer.

Austria are third in table with a total of 22 medals, nine gold. The United States are still second with 25 medals including nine golds.

Germany look unstoppable at the top with 29 medals, 11 gold and 12 silver. They were boosted when Michael Greis became the most successful athlete at the Games.

Greis, who had won just once on the World Cup circuit coming into the Games, missed only one of his 20 shooting targets to win the men's closing 15-km mass sprint event and complete a hat-trick of Turin golds in the biathlon.

"I only just heard that I'm the most successful athlete of the Games but today I was just trying to put on a good show - I never dreamed that I would be going home with three gold medals," Greis told reporters.

Canada, who had suffered on the ice when their hockey team were forced out of medal contention, got a handsome victory at the rink.

Speedskater Clara Hughes used her experience as an Olympic cyclist to turn on the power in the final lap to win gold in the women's 5,000 metres at the Turin Olympics yesterday.

She raced into the record books as the first multiple medallist in both Winter and Summer Olympics, having won two bronze medals at the 1996 Atlanta Games for the cycling road race and the individual time trial. She also won the bronze medal in the 5,000 at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games.

"I am kind of like a diesel, it's the cyclist in me, where if I see the finish line I need at least a kilometre to sprint," she said, still laughing after her win.

Sweden's Carin Olofsson won the country's first gold in the biathlon and got a kiss from a king - Sweden's King Carl Gustaf.

Stellar performances in the field pushed last week's scandal over doping into the background - something Austrian Olympic chiefs have wanted to do for some time.

Ten of their athletes were given negative results to their tests on Friday, giving the team a little respite.

"We had to wait for the test results for five days and it's natural that the wildest rumours appeared," Austrian Olympic Committee secretary-general Heinz Jungwirth told reporters.

"We could have done without that kind of publicity."

Olympic investigators and Italian police raided the lodgings of the Austrian team's biathletes and cross-country skiers a week ago after a visit by coach Walter Mayer who was barred from the Games for his role in a previous blood transfusion scandal at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics four years ago.

Ice-Hockey (men - bronze medal play-off): Russia vs Czech Rep. 0-3.