Rocca rolls to Slovenia victory

Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, Thursday, 22 December 2005, 13:42 GMT (BBC Sport) - Italy's Giorgio Rocca won his third straight World Cup slalom race when he stormed to victory in Slovenia's Kranjska Gora on Thursday.

The technical specialist clocked one minute 35.98 seconds to edge out Canada's Thomas Grandi (1:36.62).

American Ted Ligety was in third place with a time of 1:36.65.

Austrian Benni Raich, the defending World Cup slalom champion, failed to finish his second run, while American Bode Miller crashed on his first leg.

Rocca, hailed as the new Alberto Tomba in Italy, also won the two previous slaloms in Beaver Creek and Madonna di Campiglio earlier this month.

"It's always difficult to win, but I like it - fantastic," Rocca said.

Italy's Tomba won Olympic titles in giant slalom and slalom in Calgary in 1988 and took gold again in the giant slalom at Val d'Isere four years later.

American star Bode Miller stormed away from Kranjska Gora after being fined for refusing to take a boot test.

Miller was hit with a 643 euros penalty after declining the test following his failure to qualify for the second leg

Results from Kranjska Gora:

1. Giorgio Rocca, Italy, 1:35.98 (46.91-49.07).
2. Thomas Grandi, Canada, 1:36.62 (47.44-49.18)
3. Ted Ligety, United States, 1:36.65 (47.37-49.28)
4. Rainer Schoenfelder, Austria, 1:37.06 (47.14-49.92)
5. Kalle Palander, Finland, 1:37.19 (46.47-50.72)
6. Johan Brolenius, Sweden, 1:37.52 (48.65-48.87)
7. Naoki Yuasa, Japan, 1:37.59 (48.73-48.86)
8. Manfred Pranger, Austria, 1:37.61 (48.33-49.28)
9. Jean-Pierre Vidal, France, 1:37.62 (47.46-50.16)
10. Martin Hansson, Sweden, 1:37.64 (48.36-49.28)

***

Paerson wins second straight slalom

SPINDLERUV MLYN, Czech Republic, Thursday December 22, 2005 12:38PM (AP) -- World Cup overall champion Anja Paerson overcame poor track conditions Thursday and skied to her second consecutive slalom victory.

The Swede, fastest in the opening leg set by father Andrers, had a slightly slower second run down the bumpy and rough Cerna course, this time set by a French coach.

Paerson won with an aggregate time of 1 minute, 38.49 seconds. She exulted in her whopping 0.49 edge over archrival and runner-up Janica Kostelic of Croatia, winner of the giant slalom on Wednesday.

"Always when my father sets the course I feel very comfortable and I know rhythm," said Paerson, who performed her trademark victory bellyflop on the snow in the finish area."

Kostelic performed a series of cartwheels after the last racer finished Wednesday, making her a giant slalom winner for the first time.

"Yesterday it was hard to be fine when Janica won, but I was happy for her to finally win a World Cup GS, because I know it was agony for her and something she wanted a long time," Paerson said. "Today it's my turn."

Marlies Schild wound up third Thursday, 1.27 seconds back, for her second podium finish in as many days.

Paerson won the only other slalom race this season -- at Aspen, Colo., on Dec. 11. She leads the discipline standings with 200 points, 40 more than Kostelic. Kathrin Zettel of Austria is third with 105 points.

Paerson, who is only third in the overall standings and lost the giant slalom points lead to Kostelic on Wednesday, said retaining the slalom lead was important.

"It matters. The red bib always matters," she said. "It gives me self-confidence and more strength at the start. I hope I can keep having the red bib. It's motivating on the World Cup."

Kostelic, the Olympic and world slalom champion, hugged Paerson in the finish. They are very relieved to be taking a break.

"I think both me and Janica are happy to go home. We're so tired, so we were celebrating -- it's Christmas," Paerson said. "At the start we were saying, 'Imagine just 30 minutes until we have a day off.'

"We were fighting hard. These two days were difficult with the snow conditions. I needed a lot of energy for these races."

Conditions were tough at the resort, site of a World Cup event for the first time. After three feet of snow, heavy machinery broke through the course surface, making it choppy and uneven.

Julia Mancuso was the top American with a finish of ninth. Skiing with substitute boots after leaving her custom-fit pair back at her hotel, Mancuso was 25th following the opening leg. But she had the fastest second run, covering the course in 50.10 seconds to climb 16 spots.

American Kristina Koznick was 10th. Teammate Resi Stiegler, returning from a shin injury, finished 13th. Lindsey Kildow was 14th and Kaylin Richardson 17th.

Austrian Michaela Dorfmeister leads the overall standings with 502 points. Kostelic is with 492 and Paerson third with 440.

Associated Press

***

Raich leads men's World Cup slalom race

KRANJSKA GORA, Slovenia, Thursday December 22, 9:50 PM (Reuters) - World Cup champion Benjamin Raich overcame a mistake late on the first leg to lead a slalom race on Thursday.

Skiing first, Raich, who won Wednesday's giant slalom at Kranjska Gora, slipped close to the finish on the steep course but recovered well to clock 46.40 seconds.

Finland's Kalle Palander was lying second just 0.07 seconds behind the Austrian and Italy's Giorgio Rocca, winner of this season's two other slalom races, was third with a time of 46.91.

"I was fighting very hard and I have been really lucky to make it through that gate after almost losing my balance near the finish line," Raich told reporters.

"Fortunately, I made this mistake in the last steep part where it was easier for me to recover my balance afterwards.

"It was a hot moment but I don't think I have lost too much time," added Raich, who is attempting to become only the second skier to win both technical races here.

Sweden's Ingemar Stenmark managed the feat in 1978.

Raich, 27, could take over at the top of the overall World Cup standings with a strong performance in the race after champion and leader Bode Miller failed to qualify for the second leg.

The American made a major error on the second half of the course and crossed the line 3.44 seconds off Raich's time.

Rocca, who heads the slalom standings after wins in Beaver Creek and Madonna di Campiglio, blamed a problem with his ski boot for his time.

"Some minutes before the start I had a big problem with my boot because the attachment broke," he said. "In the second run I'll be back to old boots."

The second leg was starting at 1230 GMT.

Writing by Alison Wildey in London

***

Kostelic comes up big with first win

SPINDLERUV MLYN, Czech Republic, Wednesday December 21, 2005 12:28PM (AP) -- The best part of Janica Kostelic's recovery from knee surgeries are the victories that usually follow.

Kostelic, whose latest operation was on her right knee in June, won Wednesday for the first time this season. Even more impressive, the skier from Croatia picked up the first giant slalom victory of her World Cup career.

"This is probably one of the happiest moments in my career," said Kostelic, who performed a series of cartwheels in ski boots after the last racer finished. "I was waiting for this since I started skiing World Cup."

After her victory, Kostelic clambered over the barrier in the finish area to kiss her father and coach.

"I guess this is proof I can win GS," she said. "It's a special feeling because when you wait for something so long it makes you so happy, but there is no time to celebrate because there's another race tomorrow."

She appears to be rounding into form. The victory follows a finish of second in this season's opening giant slalom in Soelden, Austria, and a fourth in Aspen, Colo., where she also was second in the slalom.

Heading into the 2002 Salt Lake City Games after a late start to the season because of three knee operations, Kostelic became the first Alpine skier to win four medals at a single Winter Olympics.

After undergoing three more knee operations and having her thyroid removed, Kostelic missed all of 2003-04 only to come back last season and win three world titles.

Kathrin Zettel of Austria was second Wednesday in 2:21.38, followed by teammate Marlies Schild in 2:21.40. Kostelic leads the giant slalom standings with 230 points, 40 more than Zettel.

Kostelic also is third in the overall standings. Michaela Dorfmeister of Austria leads with 502 points, 80 more than teammate Alexandra Meissnitzer. Kostelic is another 10 points back.

Kostelic won three gold medals at Salt Lake City and has two overall World Cup titles. She also took the world championship in the downhill, slalom and combined last winter in Bormio, Italy.

It was the 22nd World Cup victory for Kostelic, a multi-medal favorite heading into the Turin Olympics.

The top American was Julia Mancuso, who finished 14th, 1:19 off the pace. Mancuso, the world championship bronze medalist in the slalom last winter, crashed in the finish area after the first leg but was unhurt. Teammate Kristina Koznick, fourth following the opening leg, dropped to 16th after making a mistake on the second run.

Associated Press