SCHLADMING, ( 25/01/2005 23:55 ) Austria (AP) _ Manfred Pranger of Austria won his second World Cup slalom in three days on Tuesday despite a timing error that relegated him from second to fourth after the opening run. Pranger, who won the tough slalom in Kitzbuehel on Sunday, followed it with a win on another tricky slope, covering the floodlit Planai course in a combined 1 minute, 47.13 seconds. Teammate Benjamin Raich, last year's winner, was runner-up in 1:47.17, while Andre Myhrer of Sweden was third in 1:47.37. In a race marred by timing errors, Pranger had stormed down the opening run to finish second. However, he was dropped to fourth after slow motion video replays showed the clock had stopped before he and Italian Giorgio Rocca had crossed the finish line.
Initially, Rocca was clocked fastest in the first heat in 51.11, Pranger was second, Raich third, and teammate Rainer Schoenfelder fourth. But after the corrections, Rocca's time was increased to 51.61 though he held on to first, while Raich, whose time remained unchanged, moved up to second. Schoenfelder climbed to third with a changed time, and Pranger dropped to fourth, after his time was increased. Schoenfelder's first time was originally more than 3 1/2 seconds quicker than Rocca's before it was corrected. Suspicious after watching the jumbo screen at the finish, the Austrian team demanded the times be investigated. Austrian ski Federation president Peter Schroecksnadel, Austrian men's head coach Toni Giger, World Cup race director Guenther Hujara and Austria's alpine team director Hans Pum huddled in the timing shack with technicians, delaying the start of the second run to settle the issue.
Three backup systems were consulted and the times of Rocca and Pranger rectified. "There is no problem," insisted Schroecksnadel, who hired race timekeeper Siemens. "Maybe someone threw a snowball in front of the finish line. But we checked with the backup systems and the three had the same time." The Italian federation launched a protest after Rocca's opening run time was changed, which was rejected. Rocca skidded off course shortly before the finish in the second run. A Siemens official interviewed on ORF said the problem had to do with impulses, such as snowballs thrown onto the course in front of the timing sensors, just before the skiers crossed the finish line. Timekeeping, which until recently has rarely been questioned in World Cup ski racing, has become a serious problem this year. The World Cup had been in turmoil since the sudden withdrawal of its official timekeeping sponsor Swatch.
Swatch abandoned its timekeeping and data processing duties after discovering it did not have the worldwide exclusivity it had been promised by the FIS. Austria signed a two-year deal with Siemens in which the German company would provide timing and data, paying ¤400,000 (US$518,000) in exchange for having its label on screen and on the results sheets. Races in Altenmarkt and Maribor also experienced irregularities. An Italian company called Delta Tre was responsible for the races in Maribor. "It's always hard when you see on videos things that are clearly not accurate," said American Bode Miller, the World Cup overall leader. "At that point you're always questioning things." Miller, sixth after a conservative opening run, straddled a gate on his second trip down. Miller has failed to finish six of the seven slaloms this season.  
 
General Standing
 
World cup Leader

Miller Bode
12.10.1977 (Franconia)
Ski: Atomic

  Miller Bode  1093
  Raich Benjamin  998
  Maier Hermann  695
  Walchhofer Michael  665
  Rahlves Daron  516
  Kjus Lasse  425
  Grandi Thomas  421
  Cuche Didier  395
  Grugger Johann  386
  Palander Kalle  382  

Next Races

29.01.2005 Bormio (ITA) SG
30.01.2005 Santa Caterina (ITA) SG
03.02.2005 Bormio (ITA) K
04.02.2005 Santa Caterina (ITA) K
05.02.2005 Bormio (ITA) DH
06.02.2005 Santa Caterina (ITA) DH
08.02.2005 Santa Caterina (ITA) GS

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