PARK CITY, Utah (Reuters) - Kalle Palander of Finland won a controversial opening slalom race of the men's World Cup season Sunday, edging out Austria's Rainer Schoenfelder by two hundredths of a second. World Cup slalom champion Palander produced a storming second run for a fifth career victory in a total time of one minute 35.91 seconds. Austria's Manfred Pranger was third in 1:36.60.

Kalle Palander

 Kalle Palander

Schoenfelder had been joint fastest with Palander on the first run, having been granted a re-run after crashing out when he said he had been distracted by an injured course marshall.

Rainer Schoenfelder

Manfred Pranger

The Finnish team placed an appeal against Schoenfelder's reinstatement, but after studying videos race officials allowed the Austrian to take his place for the second run.  

Palander wins Park City World Cup slalom (AFP)

PARK CITY, United States (AFP) - Finland's Kalle Palander won the first slalom of the men's World Cup season here Sunday while Austrian Rainer Schoenfelder controversially took second place.

Palander, 26, the reigning World Cup slalom champion, won with a total time of 1min 35.91sec for the two legs, just two-hundredths of a second in front of Schoenfelder, who won a slalom here last year.

 Kalle Palander

Austria's Manfred Pranger finished 69-hundredths of a second behind the winner.

Schoenfelder's second place finish, however, was under review after a protest by two nations over his first run.

The Austrian was given a second shot at the first leg after skiing off the course. A protest was lodged, but a jury ruled he was impeded by a course volunteer who had fallen near a gate.

Giorgio Rocca

After attempting the first leg again he maintained his position alongside Palander atop the first-leg results with a time of 47.24sec.

Officials of the International Ski Federation (FIS) were to rule on the second protest that was filed after the second leg.

Italy's Giorgio Rocca was fourth - and possibly in position to grab a podium place should the protest succeed - with a total time of 1:37.01.

 Kalle Palander

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