Germany's Felix Neureuther notched up a timely maiden World Cup victory ahead of next month's Winter Olympics when he won the men's slalom race here on Sunday.
Neureuther, a six-time World Cup podium finisher who had clocked the third-fastest time in the first leg, timed a combined 1min 37.35sec over the two runs.
The German finished 0.39sec ahead of Frenchman Julien Lizeroux with Italian Giuliano Razzoli at 0.99sec.
The 25-year-old completed his victory under the watchful eyes of father Christian Neureuther, himself a winner of the slalom here in 1979, and mother Rosi Mittermaier, who won 1976 Olympic golds in the slalom and downhill, as well as a giant slalom silver.
Reinfried Herbst took a 0.45sec lead into the second leg but the Austrian, who had earlier seen team-mate Manfred Pranger crash out on the first run, missed a gate and finished well down the field.
Italian Manfred Moelgg, another early pace-setter, also crashed out.
It was, however, a good day for Austrian veteran Benjamin Raich whose fourth-placed finish was enough to see him leapfrog Switzerland's Carlo Janka to the top of the World Cup overall standings.
Raich, 31, was also awarded the cristal globe for winner of the super-combined discipline, judged here on the combined times of Saturday's downhill and the two-leg slalom.
It was Raich's fifth 'minor' globe of his career. He won the overall globe in 2006 and has also had four second-bests (2005/2007/2008/2009) and one third-best finish (2004).
Copyright 2010 AFP Global Edition
