Matthias Mayer of Austria won the Olympic downhill in Sochi on Sunday. Mayer finished the Rosa Khutor course in 2 minutes, 6.23 seconds. Christof Innerhofer of Italy won silver and Kjetil Jansrud of Norway won bronze. Canadas Erik Guay finished 10th. Teammates Ben Thompson, Jan Hudec and Manuel Osborne-Paradis finished 19th, 21st and 25th respectively. Pre-race favorite Aksel Lund Svindal fourth and American Bode Miller finished eighth. Mayer was one of the first contenders to come down, with the No. 11 bib, and he hardly celebrated when he reached the finish. But his smile grew wider as all the favorites failed to catch him. Miller was one of the fastest skiers on the top section but lost speed when he hit a gate on a right turn a bit further down. "He pinched it off and went into the gate," Italian skier Dominik Paris said. "It was a critical section there." After crossing the finish, Miller sat down on his skis with a look of bewilderment on his face. That was understandable, considering that the American had dominated two of the three official training sessions. Svindal was also fast on top but lost speed when his large frame went soaring into the air over the big jumps lining the rest of the course. Mayer is short and compact and appeared more aerodynamic over the jumps. Mayeris one of the more surprising gold medalists in the sports marquee race, as he has never before finished better than fifth in a World Cup downhill. But Mayer led the second downhill training session and was third in the opening session. His father, Helmut, won a silver medal in the super-G at the 1988 Calgary Games. Mayer was not even supposed to be Austrias top contender but he was thrust into that position when Hannes Reichelt was sidelined with back surgery after winning the prestigious Kitzbuehel downhill on home snow two weeks ago. Ski-loving Austria has won more mens downhills at the Olympics than any other nation, six of 17, but the last came in 2002 from Fritz Strobl, who happens to be from the same region in southern Austria as Mayer. So is Franz Klammer, who won the 1976 Innsbruck Games downhill. Mayer has had more success in super-G, including a silver medal at the 2008 junior world championships and two second-place World Cup showings. Those super-G skills suited him well for the Olympic downhill course, which was extremely technical. At 3.5 kilometers (2.17 miles), the Rosa Khutor piste was also one of the most physically demanding tests skiers faced all season. With three big jumps, one of which sent skiers soaring into the air for 70 meters (yards), it provided for a spectacular race. However, the stands were only half full at the start due to an apparent traffic problem. They only filled up as the race wore on. Skies were cloudy and the temperature was slightly above freezing. The next event on the Alpine schedule is the womens super-combined Monday, followed by the womens downhill Wednesday. Alex Bars Jersey . On paper, it looks a little like Andre the Giant taking on a midget wrestler. It has all the makings of a rout with the Americans adding an eighth win in nine outings of this biennial event. The Yanks have eight players in the top 15 in the world while the Internationals have just one. Bobby Douglass Jersey .com) - The Denver Nuggets snapped a losing streak last time out and will try to carry that momentum Saturday night when they welcome the Indiana Pacers to the Pepsi Center. http://www.custombearsjersey.com/custom-...rge-776t.html.B. -- Canadas Rachel Homan had ideal preparation for the playoffs at the Ford World Curling Championships with a pair of hard-fought wins over tenacious opponents Thursday. Bilal Nichols Jersey . Ribery terrorized the Schalke defence throughout and put the home side ahead in the 36th minute when he chipped the goalkeeper before stroking the ball into the empty net. The French winger struck again after the interval, combining with Thomas Mueller on the left before firing a deflected shot beyond the helpless Timo Hildebrand in the 55th, as Bayern bounced back from Wednesdays 1-0 loss at FC Basel in the Champions League. Kevin Toliver II Jersey . Louis Cardinals a hard-fought victory. The Colorado Rockies intentionally walked Yadier Molina with one out and runners on first and third to load the bases for Kozma.Louisville, KY (SportsNetwork.com) - The Mutuel field and Dortmund finished as the top two wagering interests in the opening Kentucky Derby Future Wager. The 141st Run for the Roses will go off on Saturday, May 2. The Mutuel Field opened and closed as the 3-5 favorite among the 24 betting interests, including 23 individual soon-to-be 3-year-olds. Dortmund was the 9-1 second choice and top overall thoroughbred in the betting. Trained by Bob Baffert, Dortmund was 50-1 in the morning line, but won his debut effort on Nov. 2 at Santa Anita and is a son of 2008 Kentucky Derby and Preakness champ Big Brown. Another Baffert horse, American Pharoah closed at 12-1 the same as his opening odds. The fourth pick at 14-1 was Breeders Cup Juvenile winner Texas Red. Pool 2 will be Friday, Feb. 6 through Sunday, Feb. 8 followed by Pool 3 from Friday, Feb. 27 through Sunday, March 1 and Pool 4 Friday, March 27 through Sunday, March 29. Here are the 24 betting interests for the first Kentucky Derby Future Wager: Number Wagering Interest Morning line odds Final odds: 1. American Pharoah 12-1 12-1 2. Blofeld 20-1 40-1 3. Calculaator 20-1 71-1 4.dddddddddddd Carpe Diem 20-1 15-1 5. Classy Class 50-1 99-1 6. Competitive Edge 20-1 48-1 7. Daredevil 20-1 48-1 8. Dortmund 50-1 9-1 9. Eagle 50-1 54-1 10. El Kabeir 50-1 74-1 11. Frosted 50-1 38-1 12. I Spent It 50-1 99-1 13. Imperia 50-1 27-1 14. Lord Nelson 30-1 72-1 15. Lucky Player 50-1 99-1 16. Mr. Z 30-1 47-1 17. Ocho Ocho Ocho 20-1 29-1 18. Ostrolenka 50-1 99-1 19. Punctuate 50-1 64-1 20. Texas Red 15-1 14-1 21. The Great War 30-1 72-1 22. Unblunted 50-1 99-1 23. Upstart 20-1 53-1 24. All Others 3-5 3-5 g - gelding ' ' '