Risks Pay Off for Mayer in Winning Giant Slalom

Christian Mayer’s four-year victory drought finally ended Sunday.

Mayer had to battle a damaged, tricky course, beat a world champion and fight off the strongest team on the men’s World Cup ski circuit--his Austrian teammates--to win a giant slalom race in Alta Badia, Italy.

Mayer clocked the fastest time in the first run, then took risks in the second, down the steep Gran Risa course, to earn his second World Cup victory. His only previous triumph was in a giant slalom at Val D’Isere in 1993.

The winner beat world giant slalom champion Michael von Gruenigen of Switzerland by .43 seconds with a combined time of 2 minutes 20.97 seconds in leading an impressive showing by Austrians, who took seven of the top eight places.

Mayer was the last of 30 second-run starters--in reverse order of the first-heat finishers--and competed on a course filled with bumps, holes and soft snow.

He nearly missed a gate in the upper part of the course and did some acrobatics to make the next part.

“I risked everything,” he said. “I knew I could go out, but I still pushed hard. I’m happy, happy, happy.”

Italian star Alberto Tomba, sixth after the first run, lost his balance, straddled a gate and fell midway through the second run.

American Daron Rahlves did not qualify for the second run.

Von Gruenigen retained the lead in the giant slalom standings, with 280 points.

Austrian Hermann Maier placed third at 2:21.63 and strengthened his lead in the overall Cup standings with 489 points after 10 races.

Soccer

Brazil made good on its promise to win the FIFA Confederations Cup, thrashing Australia, 6-0, in the final in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

More than 60,000 fans were on hand to see Ronaldo and Romario score three goals each as the Australian defense fell to pieces before Denilson’s runs on the left wing and Juninho’s defense-splitting passes.

Ronaldo opened the scoring in the 14th minute after receiving a square ball from Denilson and tapping it in.

The Socceroos pushed forward in search of an equalizer, but their campaign ended as Mark Viduka was sent off for kicking Cafu in the 24th minute.

The Australians were shaken by Viduka’s dismissal, and Brazil exploited the one-man advantage for the remainder of the match.

Ronaldo struck again in the 27th minute, stretching between two defenders to increase Brazil’s lead.

The Brazilians took complete command from then on, with Juninho, Denilson and Cafu causing havoc for the Australians, who looked far from their previous encounter with Brazil, which ended in a goal-less draw.

Ten minutes later, Romario controlled a cross from Cafu and fired home to give Brazil a 3-0 lead at halftime.

The Brazilians weren’t about to stop after the break, and Ronaldo headed a ball to Romario in the 53rd minute, who slotted it home.

Ronaldo got his third goal in the 59th minute, hooking up with a long pass from Junior Baiano to raise the tally to 5-0.

The sixth goal came in the 75th minute after Australian goalkeeper Mark Bosnich brought down Ronaldo in the penalty area. Romario stepped up and converted from the spot.

In an earlier match for third place, Edvard Lasota scored four minutes after entering the match, giving the Czech Republic a 1-0 victory over Uruguay and securing third place.

Boxing

An Evander Holyfield-Lennox Lewis heavyweight title unification fight is a step closer to happening, but a hurdle remains to be cleared.

An understanding was reached between the two camps at a Saturday meeting at promoter Don King’s Florida office, lawyer Milt Chwasky said in New York.

Chwasky, who represents WBC champion Lewis and his co-promoter Panos Eliades of Britain, said it is now up to King and Time Warner Sports to reach an agreement within a specified time limit.

Holyfield, the IBF-WBA champion, is promoted by King, whose fights are shown on Showtime-SET. A Holyfield-Lewis fight, however, would by shown on TVKO, Time Warner’s pay-per-view outlet. Lewis has a deal with HBO-TVKO.

Necrology

A horse racing jockey was found stabbed to death hours after he won a race at Penn National Race Course, race officials said at Harrisburg, Pa.

Juan Vives, 32, was found dead in the woods near his house, said Fred Lipkin, director of publicity at the raceway.

Police believe Vives returned home from the Grantville, Pa., raceway Saturday night to find burglars breaking into his car then chased them into the woods. No suspects have been identified.