Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
ERIC WILLEMSEN
Associated Press
SEMMERING, Austria - Sweden's Therese Borssen raced to her first World Cup victory Friday, taking a slalom with a combined time of 1 minute, 55.15 seconds.
The 22-year-old Borssen was second after the first run.
In front of 15,000 spectators on her home Hirschenkogel course, Austria's Kathrin Zettel - winner of Thursday's giant slalom - finished second, 0.25 seconds back.
Marlies Schild of Austria held a commanding lead after the first run and looked set for her fourth consecutive slalom victory, but lost control of a ski just before the finish of her second run. She finished third, 0.42 behind Borssen.
"After a good couple of weeks for me I was hoping for my first World Cup title," said Borssen, third in the Aspen and Val d'Isere slaloms this season.
"But I was a bit surprised to land this victory today. Schild looked so strong. It was great to win of course, but I really would have been happy with a second place."
Schild blamed herself.
"I was so angry with myself. A mistake can always happen, but this one came at the worst possible moment," Schild said. "I lost too much speed there. It came so costly. But I will not moan about this for too long. You can't change it and I should be happy finishing third anyway."
Lindsey Kildow of the United States lost control halfway her second run and did not finish. All other American skiers failed to qualify for the evening session.
Schild goes into 2007 on top of the overall World Cup standings after recapturing the lead she lost Thursday to compatriot Nicole Hosp, who did not finish in her first run Friday. Schild leads with 597 points, and Hosp and Zettel share the second spot with 540. Austria's Renate Goetschl with 441 and Kildow with 435 complete the top five.
The women's circuit will resume with a slalom in Zagreb, Croatia, on Jan. 4.