WENGEN, Switzerland - Italy's Giorgio Rocca posted his first World Cup win Sunday but saw his triumph eclipsed by Japan's Akira Sasaki, who finished runner-up the first time he ever qualified for a second run of a slalom. Rocca sped down the hard Mannichen-Jungfrau course in a two-run combined time of 1 minute, 47.88 seconds to collect his first ever World Cup victory.

"This is a great day for me. Finally a win," said Rocca, who had finished a maddening .01 behind reigning World Cup slalom champion Ivica Kostelic in Sestrieres in December.

 Giorgio Rocca

"I'd heard the Japanese guy was very fast and I think I was a little lucky. There were only a few 100ths of a second between us."

In fact, Sasaki finished just .04 behind Rocca, clocking 1:47.92 for second place.

The Japanese skier had started the first leg back in 65th position to finish an extraordinary seventh and qualify for the second leg for the first time of his career.

Though Sasaki

It was only his 13th World Cup race, having entered 12 slaloms and one giant slalom.
"I'd never even qualified before so this is difficult for me to understand," said the 21-year-old Japanese student. "I could never have imagined this. It's like a dream."

Though Sasaki

Though Sasaki had never before earned World Cup points, he finished 20th in the slalom at the 1999 world championships.

"At the start of the season my goal was to win a World Cup race even though I had never been on the podium before," Sasaki said, a wide smile on his face. "Now, with this second place, maybe a win will be possible."

Ivica Kostelic

World Cup slalom leader Ivica Kostelic was third in 1:48.59.

"The second run was very difficult," Kostelic said. "I saw all my toughest competitors go out.

"I'm happy with third place because I had a tough week. It was really hard."

Kostelic spent the week denying allegations he sympathizes with Nazism, after the Croatian weekly National cited comments made last Sunday in which he compared his pre-race attitude to that of a World War II German soldier preparing for attack.

Kjetil Andre Aamodt

Norwegian alrounder Kjetil Andre Aamodt finished seventh and won the combined event, which adds the times from Friday's downhill to the slalom.

"I'm really happy to win the combined," Aamodt said. It's a special win because it's my first this year.
"It was a great fight with the younger American Bode Miller."

Miller took over the lead of the overall from Stephan Eberharter once again after collecting 104 points Sunday. Miller leads with 858 points, with Eberharter on 815.

Kalle Pelander

The American finished 11th in the slalom and runnerup in the combined event.

"I changed equipment after the opening leg," said Miller, who'd had a rodeo-like opening run. "I had some serious mistakes in the first leg.

"I tried to go fast in the second run but I wasn't so much looking for speed. I was just trying to make it down and do well in the combined."

Canada's Julien Cousineau finished 10th. Starting back in 75th in the first leg, Cousineau clocked the 12th best time. He then climbed to 10th in the final run.

Though Sasaki, Giorgio Rocca and Ivica Kostelic

Kostelic still leads the slalom standings with 378 points. Austrian Rainer Schoenfelder sat second on 234.

By ERICA BULMAN, Associated Press Writer, 19.01.2003

  Tweet