Alpine skiing: Legends to take part in Croatia charity race
ZAGREB (AFP) — Sixteen alpine skiing legends including Italy's Alberto Tomba and Sweden's Ingemar Stenmark will take part in a charity race in Croatia this weekend, organisers said Monday.
Apart from Tomba and Stenmark, Sunday's race on Mount Medvednica overlooking Zagreb will also feature fabled Austrian downhiller Franz Klammer, Croatia's Olympic medallist Janica Kostelic and Luxembourg's all-rounder Marc Girardelli.
The veterans will race in a mixed-sex giant slalom event with Kostelic, Stenmark, Tomba and Girardelli ranked as top seeds and unable to meet each other until the semi-finals, the organisers added.
The money collected from the race will be donated to a hospital for chronic child diseases in Gornja Bistra near Zagreb, they said.
On Friday, Zagreb hosts a women's World Cup slalom and two days later a men's World Cup slalom event.
During their careers, Tomba and Stenmark claimed 50 and 86 World Cup victories respectively but their biggest threat come Sunday could come from Kostelic.
The local hero retired last year at the age of 25, having set the record for medals obtained by a woman in the Olympics alpine skiing events - four golds and two silvers.
Kostelic also won the prestigious overall World Cup Crystal Globe three times in her career, in 2001, 2003 and 2006, and will likely want to make an impression in front of her home fans.
