19/12/2004

Canada's Grandi wins giant slalom for first victory in 12 years on WCup circuit

 

ALTA BADIA, Italy (AP) _ Canada's Thomas Grandi won a giant slalom Sunday for his first World Cup victory in his 12 seasons on the circuit. Of Italian origins, Grandi was born near Alta Badia and his victory was celebrated as if he was a local.

"It's been a long journey to get to this point," Grandi said. "I really wanted to get that monkey off my back and win and it couldn't have happened in a better place than Alta Badia. "This is the most difficult giant slalom and it has always been my favorite." Grandi became the first Canadian man to win a World Cup race since Cary Mullen at Aspen, Colorado in 1994 

Second after the first run, Grandi covered the steep and twisting Gran Risa course in a two-run combined time of 2 minutes, 34.23 seconds. Benjamin Raich of Austria skied a fantastic second run and moved up from 10th after the first leg to finish second, 0.57 seconds behind. "I used different skis for the second run," Raich said.

"The first run I wasn't confident enough to attack, I wasn't comfortable with the way the course was set up." Switzerland's Didier Cuche and defending overall champion Hermann Maier tied for third, 0.91 seconds back.

Current overall leader Bode Miller of the United States missed a gate and did not finish his second run, reducing his lead in the overall standings ahead of Maier by 60 points. Winner of six of 13 races this season, Miller still holds a 798-479 lead on Maier, however.

Miller said he skied over a rock during his first run and sat in a distant 20th place, perhaps causing him to be a little too aggressive in the second run. First-run leader Kalle Palander of Finland also skied out midway through his second run.

As soon as they witnessed Palander's mistake, Grandi's teammates rushed out to join him and celebrate in the finish area, while Grandi reached down and kissed the snow. Grandi's previous best finishes were second in a slalom in Kitzbuehel last season and third in a Park City, Utah giant slalom in 1997-98. He was sixth in two giant slaloms held here last year. "Skiing is sort of crazy. I skied terribly in Europa Cup a couple of days ago and finished 28th," Grandi said, referring to skiing's minor leagues.

"I knew deep inside myself that I was good enough. I just had to trust my equipment and let myself go down the hill as fast as possible and not break at all. "There have been times I thought about quitting, asking myself if I was good enough to win. When I hurt my back four years ago and missed an entire season, I had a lot of doubts about returning." Born in nearby Bolzano, Grandi holds an Italian passport and both of his parents are Italian. The family left for Banff, Alberta when Grandi was 2 1/2. "The first plan was to go to Australia, but there were some immigration problems, so we decided on Canada. My parents didn't know where to go and someone said go to Banff," said Grandi, who speaks perfect Italian.

Grandi's grandmother still lives in Trieste, Italy. "It definitely feels like a second home here," he said. Grandi will not be able to tack the bib he wore Sunday up on the wall at his home. "It's a funny story. Last night at the bib draw a young kid from the valley came up to me and said 'I believe you're going to win tomorrow.' I said 'Well, thank you.' "Then he asked me, 'Will you give me your bib after the race'. And I said 'If you're right and I win tomorrow, I'll give you my bib.' "So after the race, unfortunately he found me and I gave him my bib," Grandi said, smiling. Grandi's main goal now is to maintain his form until the Turin 2006 Olympics in Italy. "I'm aiming for Turin, that could be the end of my career," he said.