ALPINE SKI WORLD CUP, REITERALM, Austria – Olympic silver medalist Ivica Kostelic of Croatia won a World Cup super-combi with a nearly perfect slalom run while Bode Miller again crashed out of a race.

Kostelic finished in 2 minutes, 8.09 seconds – 1.08 seconds ahead of Romed Baumann of Austria. Pierrick Bourgeat of France, was third, 1.51 seconds back. Ted Ligety of the United States tied for fourth.

This was Kostelic's eighth World Cup title and first in three years. It was also his first top-three finish in a combined event.

Kostelic, a technical specialist, finished seventh in the morning's super-G and then sped down the slalom in 49.03 – 0.83 faster than his nearest rival – to win his first points of the season.

Miller was in front by 0.43 seconds at the first split time of the super-G after a typically aggressive start. But he clipped a gate with his hand in the midsection, causing him to lose his footing and crash.

The American, who won a downhill in Beaver Creek, Colo., this month, crashed out of the last super-combi after leading the downhill leg and also crashed in the last slalom.

Ligety, the combined Olympic champion, jumped from 23rd to share fourth place after the second leg, despite a broken hand that is still not fully healed.

The super-combi – which consists of a speed event and a one-run slalom staged the same day – was introduced two seasons ago. The traditional combination adds the times of a downhill and a classic two-leg slalom, run on different days.

Niklas Rainer of Sweden, who led after the opening run, finished seventh – his best career result.

Aksel Lund Svindal, who won the season-opening super-combi in Beaver Creek after coming back from 20th place, was favored to win on the Gasselhoehe track. He was 19th after the super-G, but finished sixth.

Last season's overall champion, Benjamin Raich, made several mistakes and wound up 10th.

Race stewards were struggling to groom the course after a day of rain in the valleys and a light layer of fresh snow overnight on the mountain tops. The course was last used on the World Cup circuit in 1979.

Three World Cup events have been canceled because of unseasonably warm weather across Europe. Reiteralm was designated to replace a race in Val d'Isere, France.

By Eugene Brcic
ASSOCIATED PRESS
December 10, 2006