BizVantage – Beyond the news - a realtime Net clipping service: for business, investment or technology.
Try the free, no-hassle 6 month trial!

His Austrian countryman Fritz Strobl was second, just 4/100ths of one second back, with Frenchman Antoine Deneriaz third, 36/100ths of a second off the pace. American Daron Rahlves was fourth.

With one downhill race left in the season, Eberharter has an unbeatable lead over countryman Hermann Maier (771-537) in the downhill standings. Maier leads the overall World Cup standings with 1105 points, just 16 points ahead of American Bode Miller (1089). Eberharter is third overall, 44 points behind Maier. (1061).

Cross Country Skiing

Norway has completed a perfect season by winning a World Cup team ski-jumping event in Lahti, Finland, thanks in large part to Bjorn Einar Romoren's leap of 128 meters.

The Norwegian team - which also included Tommy Ingebrigtsen, Roar Ljokelsoy and Siggurd Pettersen - finished with 1073.7 points. Finland was second, 41.6 points back. Japan finished third with 983.3 points.

The Norwegians finished the season undefeated, having won team competitions in Willingen, Germany and at the Ski Flying Worlds in Planica, Slovenia last month.

In other cross country news, Russia's men's team has won a six-by one-kilometer classical style race in Lahti, Finland. Norway won the women's title.

The Russian duo of Nikolai Pankratov and Vasily Rotchev won in 12:56.2 (minutes). Sweden's number-two team of Mats Larsson and Bjorn Lind was second, just one-half of one second back. Norway's number-one team of Odd-Bjorn Hjelmeset and Jens Arne Svartedal was third, 8/100ths of one second off the lead.

In the women's event, the Norwegian number one team of Ella Gjoemle and Hilde G. Pedersen won in 14:52.1 (minutes).

Finland's team of Elina Hietamaki and Pirjo Maninen was second, 1.5 seconds back. Russia's number one team of Larisa Kurkina and Olga Savialova was third, 2.2 seconds off the winners.

Nordic Combined

Japan's Daito Takahasi has won his second straight World Cup Nordic combined event in Lahti, Finland, but Finnish skier Hannu Manninen took the overall World Cup title.

Takahashi won the 15-kilometer cross-country skiing portion of the event in 40:23.8 (minutes). Austria's Felix Gottwald was second, 44 seconds back; with Finnish Olympic champion Samppa Lajunen third, 9 seconds behind Gottwald.

Hannu Manninen finished fourth, but had captured the World Cup crown thanks to his third place finish in Friday's 7.5 kilometer race. Manninen won seven races in 19 events this season, earning 1,392 points and ending German Ronny Ackermann's two-year reign as champion.