Raich gets first slalom victory of the season

Benjamin Raich won a World Cup slalom Sunday at Bad Kleinkirchheim, Austria, for his first victory of the season.

The 2006 overall champion led after the first run and was third fastest in the second run to complete the Franz Klammer course in a combined time of 1 minute 34.46 seconds.

“I let the skis go and it was a big day for me,” said Raich, who moved to the top of the overall standings with 405 points.

Jens Byggmark was second, 0.66 of a second behind Raich, for his first podium finish of the season.

Manfred Moelgg finished third with a 1:35.18, after coming second in giant slalom Saturday.

Ted Ligety failed to complete the first run, and another American, Jimmy Cochran, did not finish the second. Bode Miller failed to qualify for the final run after finishing 45th in the first.

Daniel Albrecht finished 16th and is second overall with 332 points. Speed specialist Didier Cuche is third with 273 points.

Nicole Hosp raced to her first women’s World Cup slalom victory of the season, beating Tanja Poutiainen by 1.43 seconds at Aspen, Colo.

Hosp had a two-run time of 1 minute 34.36 seconds on Ruthie’s Run, winning a day after pulling out of a downhill because of dangerous conditions.

“It was a very difficult choice to make,” Hosp said. “After the race yesterday, I had a feeling that it was the wrong decision because I didn’t have the guts to go. But I thought my health was much more important to me.”

It was the second World Cup slalom victory of her career. She also won March 17 of this year in Lenzerheide, Sweden.

Hosp remained second in the World Cup overall standings, 17 points behind Austrian teammate Marlies Schild.

Poutiainen finished in 1:35.79, and Kathrin Zettel was third in 1:35.94.

Resi Stiegler was the top U.S. finisher, placing eighth in 1:37.07. Teammate Julia Mancuso was 19th.

Shani Davis won the men’s 1,000-meter race in 1 minute 8.39 seconds in the World Cup speedskating event at Heerenveen, Netherlands.

SOCCER

Ovalle’s goal lifts Atlante to Mexican league title

Clemente Ovalle scored on a kick from about 23 yards out near the end of the game to propel Atlante to its first Mexican league title since the 1993-94 season.

Ovalle’s goal, a rocket that found the upper-right corner, came in the 40th minute of the Iron Colt’s 2-1 win against Pumas UNAM in front of a sellout crowd at Quintana Roo Stadium in Cancun.

The championship capped Atlante’s first season in Cancun after the club relocated from Mexico City during the off-season.

The first leg of the series was played to a 0-0 tie Thursday.

The scoreless tie stretched into halftime of Sunday’s game as both teams failed to find the back of the net in the first half.

Giancarlo Maldonado ended the drought in the 58th minute. Maldonado got behind the defense and then ran past UNAM goalkeeper Sergio Bernal for an easy goal into an open net.

Pumas answered 10 minutes later with the equalizer when Ismael Iniguez put away a rebound that had bounced off of the post back to him.

-- Jaime Cardenas

Arsenal lost its first game of the English Premier League season, falling at Middlesbrough, 2-1. The loss left the Gunners with a one-point lead in the standings.

Stewart Downing and Tuncay Sanli scored to give Middlesbrough its first win since Sept. 1. Tomas Rosicky scored for Arsenal, giving the Gunners at least one goal in every Premier League match this season.

Arsenal leads the league with 37 points, followed by Manchester United with 36 and Chelsea with 34.

GOLF

Lonard shoots a 65 to win Australian PGA

Peter Lonard won the Australian PGA for the third time with a seven-under-par 65 and a three-shot victory at Coolum.

In a group of five trailing third-round leader Rory Sabbatini by one stroke at the start of play, Lonard had a 20-under 268 total.

Woody Austin made a 35-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to win the Merrill Lynch Shootout at Naples, Fla., with teammate Mark Calcavecchia by a shot over tournament host Greg Norman and Bubba Watson.

MISCELLANY

Italy wins water polo tournament; U.S. is third

Italy hung on to win the ninth Holiday Cup women’s water polo tournament at Long Beach as it topped the Netherlands, 10-9.

In the third-place game, the United States easily defeated Russia, 17-7.

Louisiana State defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey was named the winner of the Lott Trophy. Dorsey, who has already won the Nagurski, Lombardi and Outland awards, was presented the trophy in Newport Beach by former USC and NFL star Ronnie Lott, after whom it is named.