Girardelli Wins Slalom, Widens World Cup Lead

Luxembourg’s Marc Girardelli posted the best times in both heats to win a giant slalom race today and widen his overall lead in the World Cup standings.

The 25-year-old native Austrian, who was World Cup champion in 1985 and 1986, survived a near fall in the first heat as the No. 10 starter and rallied aggressively to dominate the race in a combined 2 minutes and 31.84 seconds.

The big surprise, however, was the second place finish for Norway’s Ole Christian Furuseth, 22, who joined the circuit only last season. He was timed in 2:32.49.

Italian star Alberto Tomba was third. Helmuth Mayer of Austria took fourth place, followed by Switzerland’s Pirmin Zurbriggen, the defending World Cup champion who came back in spectacular fashion after placing 13th in the first run.

The two heats, with 46 and 48 gates respectively, went over hard-packed snow with patches of ice on the Kuonisbergli course near this Bernese Oberland resort. The drop was 375 meters.

All-Time Third

For Girardelli, it was only the fourth giant slalom win since he started his World Cup career in 1980.

Overall Girardelli has won 28 events, and today’s victory moved him into third place on the all-time victory list.

Ingemar Stenmark of Sweden leads in events won in a career with 85 and Zurbriggen has 34. American Phil Mahre, who had been tied with Girardelli, dropped to fourth in lifetime victories with 27.

Girardelli raised his overall World Cup point total this season to 219, with Zurbriggen trailing him at 183. Tomba, who does not compete in downhill races, is third with 113 points.

Today’s race was the third giant slalom of the season and the last before the World Alpine Ski Championships in Vail, Colo., starting Jan. 29. Zurbriggen won the opening race. The winner of the second, Rudolf Nierlich of Austria, was eliminated today shortly before completing the race.