ALPINE WORLD CUP, Friday, January 6, 07:31 AM, ZAGREB (AFP) - Austria's Marlies Schild won the women's World Cup slalom race ahead of compatriot Kathrin Zettel and local favourite Janica Kostelic.

Schild won both legs to win the "Snow Queen Trophy" and came home in 1min 53:63sec to record her sixth World Cup win, her fifth in the slalom. The Austrian finished 0.32sec ahead of Zettel and 0.67sec clear of Kostelic.

Triple Olympic champion Kostelic, roared on by more than 20,000 people lining the piste, had earlier held the overall lead despite skiing the second run with only one pole after a mistake before the very first gate saw her lose her right pole and glove.

"I made a stupid mistake," Kostelic said. "I lost my pole and glove, which has never happened to me before, even during training.

"For a moment I thought of pulling up but I managed to finish. My arm is swollen and hurts."

Kostelic, who celebrated her 24th birthday on Thursday, remained in the lead of the overall standings in the World Cup on 67 points ahead of Sweden's Anja Paerson, who won the first two slaloms of the season but could only finish fifth here.

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