Clark's tips for Sölden
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ByEurosport
Published 22/10/2003 at 17:37 GMT
With the Alpine skiing World Cup set to open in Sölden on Saturday, British Eurosport TV commentator John Clark gave some inside tips on the top skiers to watch out for on the Austrian glacier. Follow the action LIVE all weekend on eurosport.com!
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The women's giant slalom will begin the weekend's action on Saturday and while the race is as open as ever, according to Clark, youth and experience will prevail.
"[Anja] Paerson will come back strong after her success last year," he said. "And Nicole Hosp, after her lightning arrival on the scene last year, will definitely be one to watch."
Paerson, the defending giant slalom World Cup champion, may only be 22, but her dominance in the discipline over the past three seasons makes her a seasoned veteran.
Nineteen-year-old Hosp, who burst into World Cup prominence last season with (a three-way) victory in Sölden, is only expected to get better.
"She's very young," Clark said. "She's training really well at the moment."
On the men's side, all eyes will be on Hermann Maier in Sunday's race.
The former World Cup champion, who is embarking on his first full competitive season in three years following a serious motorcycle accident, had an injury scare a few weeks ago but announced that he would indeed race in Sölden.
"You can never rule out the Herminator. Despite his low start number and his recent injury, he's just so mentally strong.
"If it were any other skier, I don't even think we'd be hearing about this injury [inflammation of the knee cap]. We're only hearing about it because it's Maier," Clark said.
"It's common for skiers to have injuries."
World Cup champion Stephan Eberharter, the reigning Olympic giant slalom champion, goes to Sölden seeking a repeat of his victory from last year.
"Eberharter comes to the race the most relaxed. He had a very laid back summer. At his age and with his experience, he is one of the rare skiers that can afford to do that."
Brimming with confidence, the 34 year-old Eberharter just keeps getting better with age...
Follow the action from Sölden LIVE all weekend on eurosport.com!
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