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American Ted Ligety finished third yesterday in Austria but leads the giant slalom overall. (DOMINIC EBENBICHLER/Reuters) |
Winter sports roundup
Massimiliano Blardone led Italy's 1-2 finish in the giant slalom yesterday at Bad Kleinkirchheim, Austria, while Americans Ted Ligety and Bode Miller finished third and seventh, respectively, as the men's World Cup returned to Europe after a series of races in North America.
Blardone was third after the opening leg but delivered a solid second run on the Franz Klammer course in 2 minutes 10.75 seconds for his fourth career victory in the event. Teammate Manfred Moelgg was 0.09 seconds behind.
Ligety, the Turin Olympics combined champion, was third in 2:10.92 to keep his overall lead in the discipline. Miller is seventh in the overall standings.
Ligety finished second at Soelden, Austria, and was fourth last week at Beaver Creek, Colo.
"It's not that much fun being second, third, and fourth," he said. "To win would be nice."
Women's downhill - Canadian Britt Janyk won her first World Cup title, a downhill event in Aspen, Colo., in which about half the field was unable to complete the race on a snowy, foggy day.
Janyk, who leads the downhill standings, was followed by Austrians Marlies Schild and Renate Goetschl. Lindsey Vonn of the US was fourth.
Nordic - American Bill Demong captured a World Cup combined event, outsprinting Bjorn Kircheisen of Germany to win by 0.7 seconds at Trondheim, Norway.
Demong, of Vermontville, N.Y., covered the 15K ski race in 38:54.9 and finished eighth in the ski jump.
Bobsled - Americans Steven Holcomb and Curtis Tomasevicz won the two-man bobsled event at a World Cup competition in heavy snow at Park City, Utah. Germany's Thomas Florschuetz and Mirko Paetzold were second.
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