Skiing: World Cup slalom win for Hirscher

Winner Austria’s Marcel Hirscher (C) celebrates with second placed Olympic champion Giuliano Razzoli of Italy (L) and third placed Germany’s Felix Neureuther, yesterday, in Alta Badia

Marcel Hirscher of Austria won the men’s World Cup slalom race Alta Badia yesterday ahead of Olympic champion Giuliano Razzoli of Italy and Germany’s Felix Neureuther.
Hirscher was already fastest after the first leg, 00.11 seconds ahead of Ivica Kostelic of Croatia and Razzoli, and he increased his winning margin to 00.56 seconds on the second run as the Italian took second place.
It was a fifth World Cup win for the 22-year-old Austrian who also took over as overall World Cup leader with 425 points, ahead of Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway (416 points), who crashed out on the first leg.
He previously won this season in a giant slalom at Beaver Creek, Colorado.
Razzoli apart, three other Italians managed to place in the top eight skiing on home snow with Kostelic slipping back to fifth behind the podium placers and Andre Myhrer of Sweden who moved up from seventh to fourth.
The slalomers are back in action on Wednesday at Flachauin Austria.

Hoefl-Riesch in doubt for Flachau

Germany’s reigning overall World Cup champion Maria Hoefl-Riesch is a doubt for today’s race in Flachau, Austria after injuring her knee over the weekend, she admitted yesterday.
“Bone and cartilage are bruised. Hope I can race tomorrow. I will try at the warm-up and will decide after,” she said on her website.
“A week’s rest would be better for the knee but if the pain allows it, of course I want to start.”
On Sunday, Hoefl-Riesch was second after the first run in the World Cup slalom in the French resort of Courchevel before she injured her knee.
The race was won by the reigning World Cup slalom champion, Austria’s Marlies Schild.