Liechtenstein’s Andreas Wenzel Scores Victory in Icy World Cup Slalom

Liechtenstein’s Andreas Wenzel won a World Cup men’s slalom ski race with a time of 1 minute 33.58 seconds over the icy slopes of the Pyranees in La Mongie, France Sunday.

Sweden’s Jonas Nilsson finished second in 1:33.81, followed by Liechtenstein’s Paul Frommelt in 1:34.04. Italy’s Paolo de Chiesa finished fourth, ahead of Sweden’s Ingemar Stenmark, who was seeking his 80th World Cup victory.

The first World Cup event ever held in the Pyranees proved unusually difficult. With the temperature at zero degrees and the course glazed with a crust of ice, 55 of the 74 skiers who started were eliminated, including favorites Marc Girardelli of Luxembourg and Pirmin Zurbriggen of Switzerland. All of the American and Austrian skiers were eliminated.