HAFJELL, Norway (AP) _ American Kristina Koznick skied a sizzling second-run Saturday to win the women's World Cup slalom finale for her first win of the season.
The 27-year-old from Burnsville, Minnesota, had a combined two-run total of 1 minute, 45.67 seconds down the Olympia course near Lillehammer where alpine competition was held during the 1994 Winter Olympics.

Kristina Koznick

"It's great, it's really unexpected," beamed Koznick, who was fastest in the 61-gate second run. "It's like a dream. I'm so happy."
No wonder.
"I had a terrible season ... I broke my finger and had two different surgeries," she said.
Koznick, who won her first World Cup slalom at Are, Sweden, in 1998, had only finished in the points in five of the previous eight slalom races this season. Her best
finish was a sixth at Maribor, Slovenia, in late January.
She skied out a week ago at Are, Sweden.
"I've been skiing well and training very well, but I had not finished in some of the last races," Koznick said. "I started thinking if I should be doing this at all.
"In the middle of the season I had a conversation with my coach that maybe I should retire. But today's win gives me confidence to continue."
This was Koznick's sixth-career World Cup victory and the first since taking a slalom last season at Berchtesgaden, Germany.

Laure Pequegnot of France finished second, 0.08 behind. Marlies Schild of Austria, who led after the morning run, dropped to third, 0.23 back.
Koznick was fourth but just 0.13 behind Schild after the opening run.
"That was what I needed," she said. "All season I've hardly seen anything positive on the scoreboard."

Marlies Schild

Janica Kostelic of Croatia, the overall champion who had already clinched the slalom championship, fell with three gates left of the second run and didn't finish.
"I've never skied out so near the finish line before," she said. "I'm still human. I hit a gate with the inside ski. But I'm not really disappointed. I have world championship medals, I won the overall and the slalom title."

Janica Kostelic

Kostelic topped the final slalom standings with 710 points after winning fives races. Her closest rival Anja Paerson of Sweden had 498 points in second place. Koznick was 11th with 212 points.
Paerson, a former world slalom champion, placed sixth. Sarah Schleper, the other American, was 12th out of 18 finishers.
Kostelic leads the overall standings with 1,570 points. Karen Putzer of Italy retained second with 1,000 and Paerson moved to third with 997.

AP

Koznick Ends Season with Slalom Win (Reuters)

LILLEHAMMER, Norway (Reuters) - American Kristina Koznick won the final women's slalom of the Alpine ski World Cup season on Saturday after favorite Janica Kostelic fell within sight of the finish line.

Kostelic's uncharacteristic exit, after she had set a fast pace on the second leg, handed Koznick her first win of the season but failed to affect the outcome of the slalom cup which the Croatian had already secured before Saturday.

Last year's champion Laure Pequegnot of France also finished an otherwise disappointing season on a high note with second place, her first podium finish in 13 months.

She was just 0.08 seconds behind Koznick's time of one minute 45.67 seconds.

Austrian Marlies Schild, who led after the first leg, was unable to collect her first World Cup win and finished third, with a time of 1:45.90.

It was Koznick's sixth World Cup career win and her second in Scandinavia, her maiden win coming in Are, Sweden, in 1998.

"It's in my blood, where I'm from I'm almost Scandinavian," Koznick said, referring to her birthplace of Minnesota which has one of the highest rates of Scandinavian ancestry in the United States.

Koznick, who had toyed with the idea of quitting ski racing during a disappointing season, was overjoyed to be back on the podium for the first time since Are in February last year, when she finished second behind Pequegnot.

"It has been a very frustrating season," said Koznick, who has trained separately from the American team since 2000 and has now won six World Cup races.

"I felt I could do it but I couldn't finish races so I couldn't prove myself. In the middle of the season I had doubts about my future. Lots of people were telling me to give up. But this is proof for me that I can do it."

Koznick, who was fourth after the first leg, watched from the finish area as Kostelic fell and both Pequegnot and Schild failed to match her time.

"I had a great first run, fourth and only 0.13 behind. That was the first time I've seen anything positive from the scoreboard for a long time. Going into the second, I felt I could really go for it and take risks."

Her first act was to call her ski racer brother Charlie on a mobile phone to tell him the news. "It was a great way to celebrate Charlie's 24th birthday today," said Koznick who trained with the Norwegian team before the World Cup finals.

FIRST FAILURE

Kostelic had never before failed to complete a World Cup slalom race and blamed herself for not paying sufficient attention when she inspected the course with brother Ivica, who will try to win the men's slalom cup for the second year running on Sunday.

But Janica, who had an unbeatable slalom lead of 252 points over second-placed Swede Anja Paerson before Saturday and has also already taken the overall crown, was philosophical.

"I don't mind," she said. "I have had a great season and this is no big deal.

"I'm not really surprised because I'm still human and I still mistakes.

"I was disappointed with my first run. I was thinking 'I'm not skiing well'. In the second, I felt I skied well until the end where I crashed, so I'm not disappointed."

"Next season I would like to work more on giant slalom and the speed disciplines," added Kostelic, who will undergo knee surgery before returning in October.

The day ended in disappointment for Nicole Hosp, who won two medals at last month's world championships in St. Moritz and is one of Austria's biggest hopes for next season.

Hosp, who was fifth after the first leg, skied off the course near the top of the second run.

By Oliver Grassman, Reuters, 15.03.2003

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