Dorfmeister wins gold

In rapidly deteriorating conditions at San Sicario, the 32-year-old Austrian set the Olympic standard with a time of one minute 56.49 seconds. Schild took silver at 0.37 seconds and Paerson bronze at 0.64.

After downhill titles in the world championships and on the world cup circuit, and a Super-G silver medal in the 1998 Nagano Games, Dorfmeister finally earned the one medal that eluded her on the demanding 2.5 km Fraiteve Olympic piste.

"This was my last dream," Dorfmeister told reporters. "Now I will be able to retire with a perfect feeling and I can't wait to start a new life.

"I have been so nervous for the last two days. I couldn't sleep. My legs were so heavy at the start of the race, then I said to myself: 'Hey, let's go for it'."

Dorfmeister announced her retirement at the beginning of the season. Having already wrapped up the women's world cup downhill competition before the Winter Games, the Austrian kept the dream script alive with her commanding performance.

Silver medallist Schild of Switzerland, who has never finished higher than fifth in a world cup race, was ecstatic with her performance.

"I felt this was my course and my day," said Schild, the granddaughter of the first women's downhill champion in Olympic history, Hedy Schlunegger, who won in 1948.

Sweden's slalom specialist Paerson, who almost crashed halfway on her way to netting the bronze, told reporters: "I come from a very small village with only small mountains and for us to get a medal in downhill was not even a dream three years ago."

Austria's Renate Goetschl, bronze medallist in Salt Lake City, narrowly missed out on repeating her feat by finishing fourth, just 0.07 seconds slower than Paerson.

"It is the same as getting an 'E' in an exam," said Goetschl, last year's downhill world cup winner.

Reigning Olympic downhill champion Carole Montillet of France, heavily bruised after a crash in training, finished 28th over four and a half seconds adrift. Like Dorfmeister she too will retire at the end of the season and will be disappointed at the nature of her parting from the discipline.

US medal hopeful Lindsey Kildow, herself hospitalised after a similar accident in training, skied with bravery to record the ninth best time, at 1.29 seconds.

World champion Janica Kostelic of Croatia did not start the downhill because of a high pulse rate.

The race took place on the first bad weather day of these Winter Games. Flat light and an approaching snow storm made sure that Dorfmeister had her work cut out on the way to securing gold.