World Cup overall champion Ivica Kostelic added the men’s slalom title yesterday, while Italy’s Guiliano Razzoli won the final race in thick fog.
Kostelic placed 18th and out of the points, but his closest rivals failed to take advantage.
Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Grange skied out in the first run and Sweden’s Andre Myhrer needed to win the race, but held his first-leg position of sixth in rapidly worsening visibility.
Photo: Reuters
After crashing out, Grange announced that he is to have an operation on his left shoulder later this month. The 26-year-old — winner of three slaloms this season — said that the operation was imperative if he is to recommence competing in other disciplines apart from the slalom.
“The tendon is badly damaged and the biceps are inflamed,” Grange said. “After the operation, I won’t be able to push myself for three months. It was the right moment, at the end of the season, as there are neither world championships nor Olympics in 2012 and also I won’t have to start afresh, unlike after my knee operation [in January last year that ruled him out of the Vancouver Olympics].”
As usual, Kostelic was cheered on loudly by hundreds of Croatian supporters in the finish-area grandstands, many waving flags and wearing national team soccer jerseys.
However, the thick fog meant spectators could hardly see the racers cross the finish line, or even the television pictures on the giant screen.
Kostelic’s second slalom title comes nine years after the first in his injury-plagued career.
Given a spell of good health this season, Kostelic delivered a stunning streak of results, including seven victories in January, three in slalom events.
Kostelic was also the runaway winner in the overall standings and he also won the super-combined title.
Razzoli’s two-run time of 1 minute, 25.72 seconds sealed his first victory since his gold medal performance in the slalom at the Vancouver Olympics 13 months ago.
Razzoli finished 0.03 seconds ahead of first-run leader Mario Matt of Austria, who was seeking his third straight win. Germany’s Felix Neureuther trailed 0.25 seconds in third.
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