SOELDEN, Austria (AP-CP)10/24/2004 - American Bode Miller won the season-opening World Cup giant slalom by more than a second and Canadian Thomas Grandi was seventh Sunday. By winning in Soelden for the second straight season, the defending World Cup giant slalom champion helped cap an embarrassing weekend for the Austrians - who were kept off the podium on home snow in women's and men's races.

Thomas Grandi, Miller and Kalle Palander

"It's the first race of season, and you never know how the others are skiing," Miller said. "It's a challenging hill and I almost went down couple of times in the second run, so when I got across the finish line I was already excited, never mind the time difference."

Miller reached the bottom of the steep Rettenbach Gletscher course in a two-run time of two minutes 16.44 seconds, a whole 1.17 seconds ahead of Italy's Massimiliano Blardone.

Miller

Finland's Kalle Palander, who finished second to Miller last season in the giant slalom standings, was third.

Grandi, from Canmore, Alta., has two podium finishes to his career, but the 31-year-old is still looking for his first victory. Grandi was sitting fifth after his first run.

"I was aggressive and I attacked," Grandi said. "I knew the podium wasn't far away. I knew I had a chance.

"When I crossed the line in the second run, I wanted to be leading, to maintain my position. But I was 0.01 behind (Rainer Schoenfelder). So that meant I was probably going to drop a spot."

Jean-Philippe Roy of Ste-Flavie, Que., Julien Cousineau of Lachute, Que., and Francois Bourque of New Richmond, Que., didn't finish in the top 30 in the first run and didn't qualify for the second.

Kalle Palander

Austria won last season's Nations Cup with more points than the three closest countries combined. But it failed to place a skier in the top three in a women's giant slalom Saturday, and again in the men's race Sunday.

"The last few weeks, the Austrian skiers have been focusing on downhill and super-G training and weren't as concentrated on the giant slalom as skiers from other nations," said Austrian men's sports director Toni Giger. "The next races Austria will be on the podium again."

The men will race downhill and super-giant slalom at a World Cup in Lake Louise, Alta., Nov. 27-28.

Canadian Press