Kostelic Back In Downhill Training

Kostelic had missed the first men`s event of the championships, Wednesday`s super-G, because of a sore back.

World Cup leader Ivica Kostelic recovered from a back injury to take part in Thursday's opening men's downhill training at the alpine skiing world championships on Thursday.

Croatia's Kostelic had missed the first men's event of the Feb. 3-15 championships, Wednesday's super-G, because of a sore back. The former combined world champion said after skiing down the tricky Bellevarde mountain that he would definitely take part in Monday's super-combined and did not rule out entering Saturday's downhill as well.

"I'm feeling better and better", said the 29-year-old all-rounder, who sustained the injury in a slalom on Sunday in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.

"I'm a lot more optimistic than I was two days ago," he told reporters.

The training run, in which Austria's Christoph Gruber clocked the fastest time, was of little relevance, most skiers slowing down in the final section to avoid a crash in difficult conditions with poor visibility.

Several skiers had criticised the Bellevarde piste as being too challenging after the super-G won by Swiss Didier Cuche but the competitors seemed to like the downhill course better.

RIESCH BACK

"It's better than last year," Austria's Hermann Maier told reporters, referring to the downhill of a super-combined World Cup event staged on the same mountain last season.

"It's not as bumpy, straighter and with fewer turns. It should be a good downhill."

The course also won approval from Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal, who won bronze in the super-G.

"Weather permitting, it could be one of the most spectacular downhills seen at world championships," Svindal told reporters.

The women also had a downhill training run on Thursday with American Lindsey Vonn, France's Marie Marchand-Arvier and Austrian Andrea Fischbacher clocking the three fastest times respectively.

The three had finished in exactly the same order in the first women's race here, Tuesday's super-G.

Germany's Maria Riesch, who hurt her back and left knee in a spectacular crash in training on Wednesday, took part in Thursday's run and said afterwards she would definitely start Friday's super-combined.

"I'm not feeling too bad but I'm not at 100 percent either," Riesch said. "I was able to ski down without feeling any pain."