European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 12, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Strolz strolls too wide in bid for Mark defending Champion Hubert Strolz ran into bad Luck in tuesdays Alpine combined. By Dave Carpenter Albertville France a Hubert Strolz ran into Heartbreak tuesday on his Way to olympic history and a Gold medal role in the games that Austria has turned into its own big skiing and sledding party. Barely five seconds from the finish line Strolz skidded and missed a slalom Gate in route to an apparently successful defense of his olympic title in the menus Alpine combined. He was bidding to become the first Alpine skier Ever to win the same event in two Winter olympics. Italy led by Gold medallist Josef polio captured the top two spots in the event and Switzerland took the Bronze As two other countries in the Alps Region finally got on the medals Board on Day 4 of the Albertville games. Quot i could not believe my eyes when Strolz dropped out a Poleg said. A the made me a great gift. It was like winning the  . Olympic officials were still basking in the glow of Bonnie Blair a repeat Gold medal in the 500-meter Speed skating on monday and Cammy Myler provided More american medal Hopes today by placing a Strong sixth in the first two runs of the women a singles luge. Missed opportunities or not Austria a unexpected dominance in the French Alps has been the Story of the games so far. The austrians who totalled 11 medals in the previous two Winter games combined Lead the medals race Here with seven and moved into Strong position today to claim four More. Austrian women were poised to sweep the luge wednesday after placing 1-2-3 in the first two runs and countryman Klaus Ofner moved into the Lead of the nordic combined event at the Halfway Point. A a it a a very optimistic moment a Jung Wirth Heinz Secretary general of Austria a olympic committee said. A everybody is performing with very High  unified team athletes captured two of the first three medals Ever awarded in the women a biathlon today. Anfissa rests ova won the 7.5-Kilometer race Antje Misersky of Germany took . Hands Meribel France apr criticized for its weak defense at the 1988 olympics the United states posted the first shutout of the 1992 Winter games tuesday beating Germany 2-0 As goalie Ray Leblanc stopped 46 shots. Leblanc got All the support he needed on Power play goals by Marty Mclnnis and Ted Donato and the . 2-0 got off to the country a Best olympic Start since it went 5-0 and won the Gold medal at Squaw Valley in 1960. At Lake Placid in 1980, the americans 6-0-1 tied their first game and went on to win the Gold medal but they finished seventh the last two olympics and allowed 29 goals in six games m 1988. The Victory kept the United states tied with Finland its opponent in its next game thursday in their six team group. Germany and Poland Are 0-2. Sweden 10 faced Italy 0-1 in tuesdays lat Winter olympics the stars and Stripe sorts february 12,1992 c Page 32 Silver medal and Elena Belova of the unified team claimed the Bronze. Blair americans quadrennial sweetheart helped erase the disappointment of some Early letdown and ensured that the . Team has a Golden Opportunity to surpass its 1988 total of six medals including two Gold. A this is great for her and great for us a said Mike Moran spokesman for the . Olympic committee which retooled its olympic training program in embarrassment at the poor showing in Calgary four years ago. A it lifted a lot of apprehension a Moran said. A we think we re on track  apparently taking the Cue Myler Slid her Way into medals Contention by completing two runs Down the 5,905-foot luge track in 1 minute 34.023 seconds �?.195 seconds faster than teammate Terwillegar. Austrian Sisters Doris and Angelika Neuner were first and second. Myler although weakened by the flu is at least in position to match the Best previous american finish sixth by Bonny Warner of Palo Alto calif., at Calgary. Warner was 18th in today a Competition. A scam my a runs were very competitive Quot said assistant . Coach Claire sherred. A she could jump up into the medals tomorrow with two Good  an International race july rejected a protest by the italians and americans that the austrians gained an unfair aerodynamic advantage from elastic pointing devices they wore in their boots to help keep their feet straight. Strolz had taken the Lead of the Alpine combined with the fastest time in the first of two slalom runs. World cup Leader Paul Accola of Switzerland the favorite after mondays downhill portion of the event missed some Gates and fell out of Contention and mondays Leader Jan Einar Thorsen of Norway was a whopping 6vi seconds behind Strolz in the first slalom run. . Kitt of Rochester n.y., was 10th after monday but did not Start in tuesdays slalom because of a Bone Bruise on his right Shin sustained in mondays Competition. A . Ski team official said he is still expected to compete in the super giant slalom on sunday. Perhaps Blair should have a who you Gonna Call a emblazoned on her skating warmups after once again single hand edly busting the . Team out or a slump. At Calgary americans earned Only a single medal in the first week of olympic Competition a a Bronze by Jill Watson and Peter Oppegard in pairs skating. It was a week remembered More for Dan Jansen stumbles on the Speed skating rink and some other missed opportunities. The Albertville games also appeared to be slip sliding away from . Olympians until Blair skated a nearly flawless race to win in 40.33 seconds in the Albertville ovals Sun baked surface. Afterwards Blair tearfully dedicated the race to her father who died in december 1990, was her first medal in 1988 More special a they were each better in their own Way a she responded. A in �?T88, i was Happy to win a Gold medal. Now in a very proud that in a the first woman to win the 500  Shell take that Pride into the 1,500 meters on wednesday and the 1,000 meters on Friday and is a top contender in the latter race. Americans fumbled or otherwise lost their medal Hopes in the first two Days in the menus singles luge the menus downhill and the pairs skating. But besides Blair they Harbor realistic Gold medal chances in at least four More events Jansen in the menus 500 meters Kristi Yamaguchi Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan in women a figure skating Christopher Bowman and Todd Al dredge in menus figures Odds on favorite Donna Weibrecht in the women a moguls skiing. In hockey tuesday 1988 Silver medallist Finland remained unbeaten by blasting Poland 9-1. The United states was looking for its second straight Victory tuesday night against Germany. Eric Lindros a National hockey league superstar in waiting scored two goals and an assist monday night As Canada also stayed unbeaten by routing Switzerland 6-1.inside sports Berkow magic should quit playing a Page 25 flu wins despite 3-Point flurry a Page 26 Savard lifts canadians Over canucks a Page 26 baseball innovator Patterson Dies a Page 31 i a your schedule helped. We played a lot of National hockey league teams this year where we had to turn it up a notch a said Clark Donatelli a Forward on the 1988 and 1992 to earns. In preparing for the 1992 Winter games the americans set up a much More testing schedule with 21 games against nil opponents. Germany 2-0 shutout olympic hockey game. The fourth seeded americans had a Tough time in their opener against eighth seeded Italy winning 6-3 after trailing 32. And Germany seeded ninth was no Pushover. The United states finally went ahead on Mclnnis goal at 5 25 of the second period. Leblanc preserved the Lead with spectacular save after spectacular save until Donato scored at 11 56 of the third period. Leblanc a minor leaguer for the last seven seasons stopped 20 shots in the first period alone and with four seconds lefts m the second period he made a Nice catch of Michael Heidtm a Blue line shot through a screen. At 10 47 of the third period he thwarted a Germany Short handed goal Opportunity denying Dieter Hegen on a breakaway. Mclnnis scored after to Mantha passed the puck from near the left boards. Mclnnis collected it near the left Post and slipped a 5-footer under the right pad of goalie Helmut de Raaf. Donato notched the insurance goal after the puck came from the left Side and through the Slot. He skated in on the right and smacked a 5-footer past a sliding de Raaf. In 1988, the United states needed to beat West Germany by two goals in the final game of the preliminary round to make the medal round. West Germany won 4-1, the americans pre olympic schedule tougher than the one in 1988, forced them to play More defense