By Martyn Herman

Swiss duo Daniel Albrecht and Marc Berthod shone again at the Alpine skiing world championships on Wednesday as they put themselves on course for medals in the men's giant slalom.

After Austrian Olympic champion Benjamin Raich failed to complete his first run, Albrecht, the super-combined gold medallist, set the fastest time down a murky Olympia course of one minute 09.44 seconds.

Berthod, who took a bronze in the super-combined, was just 0.10 slower than his team mate in third place with Canada's Francois Bourque splitting the two Swiss in 1:09.51.

"This type of snow that requires aggressive skiing really suits me," Albrecht told reporters. "I just love it. I made some mistakes but I was so confident I kept going for it.

"Since the combined, I've been getting ready for this. There's a great atmosphere in our team. We're all pushing each other, giving it all we have. I'm having a lot of fun."

The Swiss men, who did not manage a medal in Bormio two years ago, have been a revelation here and with four skiers in the top eight of the giant slalom they are on course to beat Austria in the medals table.

Didier Cuche and Didier Defago are seventh and eighth.

Downhill winner Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway was well placed in fourth after clocking a smooth 1:09.67, just in front of Italian Alberto Schieppati and American Bode Miller.

Miller, looking to secure a first medal here for the disappointing American men's team, gambled on a pair of skis he had only tried once in training on an Austrian glacier in October.

MISERABLE MORNING

"It took me a few gates to find the right rhythm but on the lower section the skis were working really well," he said.

"Visibility was a bit of a problem."

Raich's mishap began a miserable morning for the Austrian men who are yet to win a gold medal at these championships.

Former world and Olympic champion Hermann Maier was 1.69 seconds off the pace while Christoph Gruber strayed off course near the finish. A fourth Austrian, Rainer Schoenfelder, was more than a second and a half behind the leader.

Raich, who took a silver in super-combined, also moaned about the conditions.

"I was feeling great but visibility was really a problem and we were not getting any information," he said. "It's bumpy on the lower section and really difficult.

"Things like that happen in skiing. I'm hoping to make up for it in the slalom."

Italy's Massimiliano Blardone of Italy, third in the World Cup standings in giant slalom, is also out of contention after skiing out in his first run.