Pranger gets top time asMiller flops

Overal World Cup leader Anja Paerson from Sweden clears a gate during a slalom event above the arctic circle in Levi, Finland, Sunday. Paerson failed to finish her second run. PHOTO: AP

Austria's Manfred Pranger posted the fastest time in the opening leg of a World Cup slalom Sunday, while Bode Miller made a blunder that left him out of the qualifying group and cost him valuable point in the chase for the overall title.

Pranger sped down the Podkoren 3 course in 49.15 seconds, .27 of a second faster than teammate Mario Matt. Rainer Schoenfelder, another Austrian, clocked the third-fastest time in 49.74.

Benjamin Raich, one of Miller's rivals for the overall title, crossed seventh, with .94 to make up in the second leg.

Miller, who has always done poorly in the slalom at this classic Slovenian resort, charged aggressively out of the start hut but fumbled on the flat and went wide on a gate, then hiked back up to get back on course. He completed the run but finished 50th, 4.22 seconds behind Pranger.

"I wouldn't change my tactic if I could," Miller said. "Things happen pretty quickly in slalom. It doesn't mean if you take risks you'll go out. Just like you can take no risks at all and still go out on the fifth gate. That's slalom.

"I felt good on my line, then suddenly I was on my hip. Once I got back into the race, I took a lot of risks and I was fine to the finish."

The American has never scored points in Kranjska Gora, going off course four times and failing to qualify in two others.

This latest setback could prove costly for Miller, who is looking to become the first American overall champion in more than two decades. The slalom was an opportunity to collect crucial points for the American, who is locked in a battle with Hermann Maier, Raich and Stephan Eberharter for the overall title.

Six races remain on the World Cup schedule including one more slalom, a giant slalom, a pair of super-Gs and two more downhills.

Miller is the only skier to have competed in every World Cup race last season and so far this winter. The slalom was a chance to gain ground as neither Maier nor Eberharter compete in the event. Raich, a technical specialist, is also looking to make up points in the slalom. Miller had regained the overall lead from Maier on Saturday with a victory in the giant slalom.

The American tops the table with 1,084 points. Maier slipped to second with 1,076 points. Raich is now third on 999.

"I'll just have to ski fast in the downhill and super-G," Miller said. "I would have liked to ski fast in both anyway, but now I have to."

Women's slalom

Maria Riesch led a German 1-2 finish after the first run of a women's World Cup slalom north of the Arctic Circle on Sunday.

Skiing in extremely cold weather with a temperature of minus 23 degrees C, Riesch covered the morning run down the Levi Black course in 51.97 seconds.

Martina Ertl finished her run 0.31 slower to take second place followed by Kristina Koznick of the US, 0.40 behind, and Sweden's Anja Paerson, 0.45 back.

Tanja Poutiainen of Finland, who captured her first-career World Cup slalom on the same hill Saturday, was more than a second off Riesch's pace in eighth place.

Renate Goetschl failed again to qualify for the second run, retiring after only a few gates. The Austrian, who scores most of her points in the speed races, trails Paerson by 173 points in the overall standings.

Poutiainen's victory Saturday snapped Paerson's four-race winning streak in the discipline. The Swede, who has already clinched the slalom and giant slalom season titles, had to settle with fourth as she missed the podium for the first time of the season.

Cross country

Rene Sommerfeldt of Germany won Saturday's 50km freestyle cross country ski race at Holmenkollen, extending his World Cup overall lead over defending champion Mathias Fredriksson of Sweden.

Julia Tchepalova of Russia won the women's 30K freestyle event and Gabriella Paruzzi of Italy pulled further ahead in the overall standings.

Sommerfeldt was timed in 2 hours, 4 minutes, 41.8 seconds on the Holmenkollen course, the circuit's most famous long-distance race. It was his second World Cup victory this season and third of his career.

Sommerfeldt is the first German to win the grueling race at the cradle of Nordic skiing since Gerhard Grimmer of East Germany in 1971.

"To win on these trails is like winning the world championship gold medal ... now it really looks good for the overall," said the 29-year-old.

Fredriksson, who edged Sommerfeldt for the overall title last season, wound up 25th and lost valuable points. He was 5:22.6 off Sommerfeldt's pace.

With only four events left -- two freestyle sprints, one 15K classical style and one 30km freestyle race -- Sommerfeldt leads Fredriksson 833 points to 596. Each win is worth 100 points.

Fulvio Valbusa of Italy placed second in 2:05:37.5 and Lukas Bauer of the Czech Republic was third in 2:05:51.1).

Bauer was disqualified last weekend for taking a shortcut in the finishing area after winning a 15km race in Umea, Sweden. The victory was later awarded to Fredriksson.

Julia Tchepalova clocked 1:16.22.8 in the women's race. Sabina Valbusa of Italy was second, 59.9 seconds behind, and Valentina Shevchenko of Ukraine third, 1:12.1 back.

Gabriella Paruzzi of Italy finished sixth and extended her lead in the overall standings to 69 points with only four races left. Norway's Marit Bjorgen, who placed 19th, is second overall. A win is worth 100 points.

Women's biathlon

Olga Pyleva of Russia won a 10km pursuit Saturday, her second World Cup biathlon victory in two days.

Pyleva, who captured Friday's sprint, finished in 31 minutes, 11.3 seconds, missing three shots. Another Russian, Anna Bogali, was 35.4 seconds behind. Sandrine Bailly of France was third, 51 seconds back.

Liv Grete Poiree of Norway was seventh but remains first in the World Cup standings.