SKIING / BOB LOCHNER : U.S. Team Might Challenge in Nordic Events

U.S. medal chances in skiing at the Winter Olympics traditionally have been confined to the Alpine events. That appears to be the case again this year, except for Donna Weinbrecht, who is favored to win the newly recognized freestyle moguls competition.

However, there might be a glimmer of hope in the Nordic events normally dominated by Scandinavian, Russian, Czech, German and Austrian athletes. Consider:

--Jim Holland, 24, of Norwich, Vt., finished fifth in the second stage of the Four Hills ski jumping tournament on New Year’s Day at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, and is ninth in the World Cup standings with 43 points.

--Josh Thompson, 29, of Gunnison, Colo., won the 10-kilometer and 20-kilometer races in the U.S. Olympic biathlon trials--which combine skiing with target shooting--recently at Lake Placid, N.Y., and might finally fulfill the promise he showed before the 1988 Winter Games at Calgary.

--John Aalberg, 31, of Salt Lake City, has won three races in the U.S. Cross-Country Ski Championships, which serve as the Olympic trials, now under way at Giants Ridge, Minn. Aalberg, who was born in Orland, Norway, and graduated from the University of Utah in 1988, expects to become an American citizen by Jan. 23. The Games begin Feb. 8.

The U.S. cross-country team will be announced after the final races today, and certain to head the women’s contingent is Nancy Fiddler of Crowley Lake, who will turn 36 on Feb. 21, two days before the Winter Olympics end. Fiddler, with two victories in the last week, has won 13 U.S. titles in her career, one short of Martha Rockwell’s record, which she could tie today.

A longshot to make the team is Bill Koch--yes, the same Bill Koch who earned a surprise Olympic cross-country bronze medal in 1976 at Innsbruck, Austria. Koch, 36, of Underwood, Wash., finished fourth in Wednesday’s 10-kilometer classical race.

“I don’t know if I’ll make (the team), but I’m just happy to be skiing fast again,” said Koch, who probably needs at least a third place in today’s 30-kilometer freestyle race to go to Albertville.

He also told the Associated Press: “If I don’t make the team (this year), it won’t make me quit. My goal is still the 1994 Winter Olympics (at Lillehammer, Norway). Anything else is a bonus.”

Alpine World Cup action continues this week, with the men at Garmisch and the women at Schruns-Tschagguns, Austria.

Today, American AJ Kitt gets his third crack at the downhill, launching three days of racing that includes a super-G Sunday and a slalom Monday, the latter making up for one that was canceled at St. Anton, Austria, in December.

Kitt, with a first and a fourth this season, had the second-fastest time in Friday’s final training run, behind Daniel Mahrer of Switzerland.

The women will compete in a downhill today and a slalom Sunday.

Skiing Notes

Alberto Tomba of Italy tops the World Cup men’s standings with 800 points, 125 more than Paul Accola of Switzerland. . . . The women are led by Vreni Schneider of Switzerland, who has 380 points, one ahead of Petra Kronberger of Austria. . . . Taped highlights of last Sunday’s women’s giant slalom at Oberstaufen, Germany, will be shown during “Olympic Winterfest” at noon today on Channel 2. . . . The St. Anton men’s downhill, which was snowed out, will be held next Friday at Kitzbuhel, Austria, preceding the Hahnenkamm.

The second annual Ski-A-Thon to benefit the California Handicapped Ski School is scheduled Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Bear Mountain, with assorted prizes going to the top fund-raisers. . . . More than 130 snowboarders are competing for a $10,000 purse in the Nissan Snow Tour’s first event, which concludes today at Snow Summit with freestyle halfpipe action. The troupe moves to Squaw Valley next weekend. . . . Snow Valley lets everyone ski free from 8 to 9:30 a.m. daily to “Test Drive Our Mountain,” as General Manager Benno Nager calls it.

Phil Mahre, 34, the 1984 Olympic slalom gold medalist and a three-time World Cup champion, makes his first U.S. Pro Tour start of the season this weekend at Telluride, Colo. . . . The Ski Classic’s Western regional series for corporate race teams begins this weekend at Heavenly. . . . Last Saturday, former Swiss World Cup champions Pirmin Zurbriggen and Michela Figini won the final races of the Tournament of Champions at Heavenly.