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CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) _ Anja
Paerson of Sweden used a first-run advantage to win a giant slalom
race Sunday and edge overall World Cup leader Janica Kostelic, who
had a blistering second run.
Paerson's combined time of two minutes, 32.48 seconds was 1.10
seconds faster than that of the Croatian, who finished runner-up
after posting the 14th-fastest time in her first trip down the
Olimpia Tofane course. It was Paerson's third win this season
following slalom victories in Aspen and Sestriere. Her previous best
result in the GS this winter was a runner-up finish in Bormio two
weeks ago. Italy's Karen Putzer finished third, 1.43 seconds behind.
Kostelic, whose second run was considerably faster than anyone
else's, increased her lead over Putzer in the overall standings to
503 points, while Putzer grabbed the lead in the GS standings from
Switzerland's Sonja Nef. Nef missed a gate and failed to qualify for
the second run.
The top American finisher was Caroline Lalive in 10th place.
Compatriot Kristina Koznick came in 27th. Sunday's race, held under
perfectly clear skies, rounded out a full week of competition in
this northeastern Italian resort. France's Carole Montillet won a
super-G Wednesday and Austrian Renate Goetschl won another super-G
Friday, followed by a downhill victory Saturday. |
