Maier surprises himself

Maier, in his first full season since he nearly lost a leg in a motorcycle accident in 2001, said his goal this season was mainly to prepare for the next.

"To come back after all that and win my super-G globe back is just great," he said after posting his third win of the season with an aggressive run down the Kandahar piste

With only two super-G remaining this season, Maier now leads the event standings with 420 points -- an unbeatable 202 points ahead of American Daron Rahlves.

"I had not expected it. This is all very emotional," added Maier, who won the super-G World Cup four times in a row from 1998.

Triumphing in Garmisch-Partenkirchen was nothing new to Maier, who burst into the limelight with a super-G win here in 1997 and has now won four speed events in this Bavarian Alps resort.

"Coming here is always very special because it's where it all started for me," he said. "I really love it here."

Maier, three times overall champion, is not as dominant as he was when he set new standards in the sport before his accident but he is in a class of his own again at least in the super-G, an event requiring technical skill as much as raw speed.

"I still need to find the right tuning in downhill and I would also love to get a good result in giant slalom because the training is going very well," he said.

The double Olympic champion, who has an incredible 45 World Cup wins to his name, has won a downhill and two super-Gs this season but has struggled so far in the giant slalom. He used to dominate the event as well but the sharper and more frequent turns put pressure on his damaged leg, which was surgically reconstructed.

The leg still causes him pain and problems. Before the weekend races, he said changes had to be made to his racing boots because the injured leg was now thinner than the other one.

"It's not always easy but being able to compete helps me forget about the injury," he said.

With more technical races than speed events to come before the end of the season in March, Maier might struggle to claim back the overall title.

He faces a battle with Raich, who is second just four points back, and his old Austrian rival Stephan Eberharter, the defending champion who is still in contention in third place, 51 points off the pace.

"I don't really think I'll win the World Cup this year," Maier said. "Maybe it's time for a new face to win it."

But next season Maier promised to be his old, unbeatable self again.

"My feeling is that I am now competitive but there's definitely room for improvement," he said.