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LAKE LOUISE, Alta. -- Erik Guay took an important step towards the 2014 Winter Olympics on Saturday. The man who has come the closest to ending Canadas Olympic medal drought in mens skiing effectively booked his ticket to Sochi, Russia, in February. The 32-year-old from Mont-Tremblant, Que., finished eighth in the season-opening World Cup downhill in Lake Louise, Alta. That qualifies him for his third Winter Games. "Its a good thing to get it out of the way," Guay said. Dominik Paris of Italy won Saturdays race with Klaus Kroell of Austria coming second and Adrien Theaux of France third. Guay finished 1.08 seconds back of Paris, whose World Cup victory was the third of his career but first in Lake Louise. "I pushed very hard at the top and the middle section was very bumpy, so it was difficult to ski very good," Paris said. "I tried to go fast and strike the line down. At the finish, I skied very good." The men race a super-G on Sunday before heading to Beaver Creek, Colo., and the second stop on the circuit this season. Canadas last Olympic medal in skiing was Edi Podivinskys downhill bronze in 1994. Guay was fifth in both the downhill and super-G at the 2010 Winter Olympics and was fourth in super-G in 2006. He was just .03 seconds away from the super-G podium in 2010. The 2011 world downhill champion has been a consistent medal producer for Canada. At 19 World Cup career medals, Guay is one away from tying the all-time record held by Steve Podborski. So the Olympic qualification criteria of a pair of top-12 results or one top-five finish wasnt onerous for Guay to achieve. He was one of four Canadian men racing at Lake Louise who were already halfway to qualifying. Each had a top-12 they could carry over from 2012-13. But Guay was short on preparation for Lake Louise. Knee surgery in July kept him off snow until earlier this month. He was fastest in the first training run for Lake Louise, but dropped to 26th in the last training session. "I think its an absolutely respectable start to the season," Guay said. "A month ago I didnt even know if I was going to be able to race here. "Winning the training run threw a wrench into things because it sets your standards a little bit higher, but all things considered Im very satisfied with the day." Canada can enter a maximum of four men in downhill and super-G in Sochi. Slalom specialist Marie-Michele Gagnon of Lac-Etchemin, Que., is the only Canadian woman to have qualified for the Olympic ski team so far. Calgarys Jan Hudec, Vancouvers Manny Osborne-Paradis and Ben Thomsen of Whistler, B.C., were still looking for another top-12 to book their ticket to Sochi. Hudec was 22nd, Osborne-Paradis finished 28th and Thomsen placed 44th on Saturday. Snow flurries overnight meant the first few men down the hill -- Osborne-Paradis had the No. 4 start bib -- had to find speed in softer conditions. Visibility changed quickly from dim to bright and back to dim again for the first 30 men down the mountain. "I had good light," Kroell said. "In some places, it was in the sun. Its always the same in Lake Louise. Wednesday to Saturday, it always changes a little bit the light and the wind. "One time youre the lucky one and another youre not. Today, I think I was one of the lucky ones." Hudec, a downhill winner at Lake Louise in 2007, has undergone seven knee surgeries in his career and this is his first healthy start to a season in years. "Thats probably why Im frustrated because I feel a lot better now than I did last year," Hudec said. "I know I have what it takes to get in there. "Tomorrow its like a total regroup. Super-G is a different game, different race. Hopefully Ill have a better start number tomorrow and better weather and go for it." Conrad Pridy of Whistler was 32nd, Jeffrey Frisch of Mont-Tremblant, Que., placed 35th and Conrads brother Morgan finished 45th. Chris Sale Jersey . Bayern led second-place Leverkusen by 10 points with a game in hand, while Dortmund was another four points off the pace. Freiburg midfielder Felix Klaus scored in the last minute as his side twice came from behind to climb provisionally out of the relegation zone. Cheap Red Sox Jerseys Authentic .com) - The Chicago White Sox have officially announced that the club has agreed to terms with utilityman Emilio Bonifacio on a one-year, $4 million contract that includes a team option for the 2016 season. http://www.cheapredsoxjerseys.com/?tag=c...porcello-jersey. Got Jacks? Pulling off a comeback for the ages, feisty Stephen F. 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McDowell clinched the victory when Stadler then failed to convert a par putt from three feet that would have forced a playoff. Stadler went into the final round with a four-shot lead over Thongchai and Victor Riu..ddddddddddddHe even got a five-stroke cushion when Riu double-bogeyed the second hole by finding water off the tee. Soon, Stadler put himself in trouble by missing short par putts on No. 4 and No. 6. He then double-bogeyed No. 7 by hooking his tee shot into the rough before missing the fairway with his second shot. Another errant tee shot from Stadler on No. 8 gave Riu a share of the lead. The title chase reached a climax when McDowell and Jamie Donaldson birdied respectively the 13th and 14th to join them atop the leaderboard. McDowell sank a birdie putt from more than 20 feet on No. 16 to move three strokes clear. But Stadler made a strong charge to get back into contention, tying the defending champion with a birdie on No. 16. Robert Karlsson placed fourth with a 281 total, one stroke clear of Donaldson and Matthew Baldwin. ' ' '