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Grange wins again to match Jean-Claude Killy feat

Austria's David Zauner jumps during the qualifying session for the World Cup Nordic Combined Ski Jumping event in Predazzo, Italy, on Saturday. PHOTO: AFP

Jean-Baptiste Grange confirmed his status as a rising star on Saturday after matching Jean-Claude Killy as the only skier to win two different races on the Lauberhorn course in the same year.

The 23-year-old Frenchman won for the second time in two days, opening up a lead on the first leg of a foggy and snowy slalom and then easily holding off Jens Byggmark in the second to finish with a combined time of 1 minute, 34.81 seconds.

Byggmark was 0.80 seconds behind in second place while Ted Ligety was third, another 0.09 seconds back. Bode Miller finished fifth, higher than many expected.

"That pleases me a lot, because Miller influenced me a lot in how I ski," Grange said. "I tend to ski directly at the gates. But we shouldn't go too far [with the comparison]. He tends to let his body lean back. I never was a good glider, but I still have the chance to improve."

With his super-combi victory on Friday, Grange matched Killy's 1967 victories in the Lauberhorn downhill and slalom. Marc Giradelli also won two races here in 1989, but they were both downhills.

Before this season, Grange had never reached a World Cup podium, even if he did win a bronze medal in the slalom at last year's world championships. He won his first race -- a slalom -- in Alta Badia, Italy, last month and leads the World Cup slalom standings.

■ GOERGL BREAKS DUCK

AP, MARIBOR, SLOVENIA

Elisabeth Goergl waited eight years and 146 World Cup events for it but on Saturday she finally won a women's World Cup giant slalom.

Goergl, 26, came first at the same Golden Fox event where her mother, Waltraud Hecher-Goergl, won a slalom on Jan. 23, 1966.

"That makes it extra special for me. My mother was here today and she kept her fingers crossed for me," said Goergl, whose brother Stefan races on the men's World Cup circuit.

Goergl, who led after the first leg, finished in a two-run combined time of 2 minutes, 38.49 seconds.

Manuela Moelgg took second, 0.49 seconds behind, while Denise Karbon finished third, trailing Goergl by 1.72 seconds.

■ HILDE WINS IN ITALY

AFP, PREDAZZO, ITALY

Norway's Tom Hilde won the World Cup ski jump in Predazzo, Italy, on Saturday.

The event was reduced to one jump because of poor weather conditions.

Hilde recorded a jump of 130.5m for 133.9 points for his first-ever World Cup win, finishing ahead of compatriot Sigurd Pettersen (130m, 133.5pts) and Austrian Wolfgang Loitzl (129m, 132.7pts).

Austria's Thomas Morgenstern, winner of six events this season, finished in fourth place, just ahead of Finland's Janne Ahonen.

After 12 of 28 events this season Morgenstern leads the World Cup standings with 990 points, 223 ahead of fellow Austrian Gregor Schlierenzauer.
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