Show Olympic Hopes Jump for United States Stales By Dan Doane BAD Austria Jan 21 W The Ri-The The United States' States hopes of winning a gold medal in the tile women's skiing competition atthe atthe at atthe the winter Olympics in Oslo next month have been boosted by an- an another top flight performance by Mrs 1 Andrea Mead l Lawrence I The year old Rutland Vt skier won the women's slalom I Irace race at the International Ski Festival Festival Fes Fes- thal here Sunday for the best showing made over the week end by U. U S. S men and women skiers and Uncle Sams Sam's speed skaters Tricky Course Mrs Lawrences Lawrence's v victory i c t tor o r y achieved with a total time of 1 1433 for two runs down a tricky course winding through 38 gates gave dave ave her a record of three firsts one second and a third in five races against virtually th the same field shell she'll face at Oslo next month And to add to the tile Americans' Americans Olympic hopes Jannette Burr of Seattle Wash Yash finished fifth Sun Sun- day Miss l Burr 24 who shaded Mrs l Lawrence for first place in inthe inthe inthe the combined Swiss championships championships champion champion- ships last week now has a record of one second two thirds and two fifths in five races Equally Adept Since both American women are equally adept at the slalom and and- downhill and downhill races which count countin in the tile Olympic combined standings stand stand- I ings jugs the U. U S. S has a good chance of winning their second gold medal The Tile first was won woi in 1948 by Gretchen Fraser th the teams team's coach The U. U S. S mens men's skiers didn't fare as well as the women but they showed big improvement over previous Olympic warm Verne Goodwin of Pittsfield Mass 1 and Brooks Dodge of Gorham Gorham Gorham Gor- Gor ham N. N H. H wound up sixth and ninth respectively among 71 skiers from 11 nations in the downhill race Christian Pravda of Austria won the event in a record for the course Goodwin was clocked in and Dodge in Norway dominated the speed skating in Oslo where Johnny Verket of Minneapolis finished fifth in the meter 1500 event for forthe forthe forthe the best showing by an American Roald Aas of Norway won the tile event ent in 2198 time was 2246 The Tile meter race in which no American was entered entered en en- went to Hjalmar Andersen of Norway Norwegians also won the and Saturday From Germany came word that world champion Dick Button would compete in the pre Olympic figure figure fig fig- ure skating meet Tuesday and Wednesday The 1948 Olympic champ from Englewood N. N J. J originally had planned to skip the meet but festival festival festival fes fes- organizers persuaded him to change his mind I |