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24. 02. 10. - 12:00

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24. 02. 10. - 12:00

Olympic gold for Austria's Nordic combined team

Austria’s Nordic combined team repeated their 2006 Olympic triumph as they took the fourth Austrian gold medal at the Vancouver Games yesterday (Tues).

Felix Gottwald, Mario Stecher, David Kreiner and Bernhard Gruber finished ahead of the USA and Germany.

The victory saw Gottwald become Austria’s most successful Olympic athlete of all time with seven medals, including three golds.

"Everyone knew what their task was. It’s a big honour to be part of this team," Gottwald said. The Salzburg-based athlete returned for this season after stepping down in 2007. He explained last May that the imminence of the Olympic Games had confirmed him in his decision.

Gottwald said he would think about when to retire after the Games.

Austria remains in seventh in the Vancouver medals table with four gold, three silver and three bronze medals.

Austria’s skiers were less successful as none of the team made the podium in yesterday’s giant slalom.

Marcel Hirscher missed bronze by just 8/100 of a second in fourth, while Romed Baumann finished fifth. Benjamin Raich, who won both slalom and giant slalom at the 2006 Olympic Games, came sixth, while Philipp Schörghofer only ranked 12th.

Swiss star Carlo Janka won gold ahead of Norwegians Kjetil Jansrud and Aksel Lund Svindal.

This means the Austrian men’s skiing team is yet to win a medal in Vancouver. If they fail to do so in the last competition, a slalom on Saturday, it would be only the second time in history - after 1936 - that they have not won a medal. In that year, however, just one race took place.

The second worst result for the men’s Alpine skiing team occurred at the Sarajevo Olympic Games in 1984 when Anton Steiner’s downhill race bronze was the only Austrian men’s Alpine skiing medal.

The 2006 Turin Games where meanwhile the most successful event for Austria as the men’s Alpine skiing team won eight of 15 medals.

Raich said after yesterday’s event: "What are we supposed to do? Everyone does what they can, and everyone skied well. Mistakes should not happen but they do. Now we have just one chance left."

Marcel Hirscher has meanwhile been accused of failing to accept defeat after he claimed: "These conditions – the soft snow and this rather even hill – are not what I prefer. I actually should fly home immediately."

Georg Streitberger meanwhile hit the headlines as pictures appeared showing the Austrian skier in a binge drinking sessions in female company.

Newspaper Österreich reported the shots were taken on the night following the Austrian Super-G disaster in which the Salzburg-based skier came 17th.

He decided not to take part in Sunday’s super combined slalom after coming just 20th in the event’s downhill run.

Austrian Skiing Federation (ÖSV) officials did not comment on the pictures.

The body has threatened tough punishment for alcohol abuse in the past.

Skier Andreas Schifferer was slapped with a fine and ordered doing charity work after causing a car crash while he was drunk in 2005.

Austrian Times

Set up tax on financial transactions soon, says Katzian
The head of the Association of Private Employees (GPA-djp) has called for a quick introduction of a tax on financial transactions.

Pühringer rejects U-turn on rightist ball
Young Social Democrats (SPÖ) have appealed to Upper Austrian Governor Josef Pühringer not to attend the Burschenbundball in Linz this Saturday.

FPÖ under fire after trip to Grozny
The Freedom Party (FPÖ) has been harshly criticised for meeting with Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov.

WKO boss wants pension age hike incentives
Federal Economy Chamber (WKO) President Christoph Leitl has identified attempts to raise the average retirement age as the key issue regarding Austria’s budget.

Woman and child run over in Vienna
A woman and child have died in a road accident in Vienna, Austria. The lorry driver was making a right turn when he drove into a group of pedestrians leaving a 59-year-old and a 12-year-old dead. The mother of the school girl was left with serious injuries.

Schlecker says Austrian jobs are safe
The son of Schlecker founder Anton Schlecker has claimed that the company has no plans to sell its Austrian affiliate.

SPÖ sees smaller parliament as key signal
The general secretary of the Social Democrats (SPÖ) has argued his support for a reduction of the size of the parliament.

Austrian food to feature in organic trade fair
Austria is expected to be well represented at next week’s BioFach 2012 international organic trade fair in Nuremberg, Germany. Some 90 companies and organisations from the Austrian organic good sector will feature at the fair from 15 to 18 February.

Brothel for the homeless in Vienna
Homeless people are queueing up for free rooms in an Austrian brothel after owner Peter Laskaris said it would be unfair not to do everything he could during the current cold spell.

Deep-freeze snacks for orangutans in Schönbrunn
The lucky orangutans who take up residence in Europe’s oldest zoo have been indulging in a twice weekly take-away. Despite the trees in Schönbrunn Zoo in Vienna, Austria now being completely bare the fury friends have fresh branches and leaves delivered twice a week.