ALPINE SKI WORLD CUP. Apparently it was a good decision. Last December French slalom star Jean-Baptiste Grange elected against toughing it out and going for the 2010 Olympics after damaging a ligament in his right knee in a no-fall event during the Beaver Creek giant slalom.

Jean-Baptiste Grange of France clears a pole during the second run of the men's Alpine Ski slalom World Cup race, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2010, in Levi, Finland. Grange won the race. (AP Photo/Lehtikuva, Mikko Stig)

Jean-Baptiste Grange, of France, reacts after winning an alpine ski, Men's World Cup Slalom, in Levi, Finland, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2010. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

He called his season instead and had corrective surgery. Today (Nov. 14) that paid off with a win in the first Men's World Cup race of the season, a slalom at Levi, Finland. It was his second win at Levi. Last time he wound up winning the World Cup slalom title.

Jean-Baptiste Grange, of France, speeds down the course on his way to win an alpine ski, Men's World Cup Slalom, in Levi, Finland, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2010. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

Swede Andre Myhrer was second, his sixth Cup slalom podium, and Croate Ivica Kostelic notched his 34th career Cup podium in third.

Sweden's Andre Myhrer speeds down the course to place second in an alpine ski, Men's World Cup Slalom, in Levi, Finland, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2010. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

Ivica Kostelic, of Croatia, speeds down the course to place third in an alpine ski, Men's World Cup Slalom, in Levi, Finland, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2010. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

It was a good day for ski racing, cloudy but with Arctic light that hardly mattered anyway. No wind and temps below the freezing mark without bitterness. But snow conditions generally described as “grippy” played a significant role catching racers not yet necessarily completely comfortable familiar with their ski set-ups for the season.

The Levi Black course took a toll on the first run with 31 of 80 starters, including seven first seed racers, failing to finish. First run casualties included two previous Levi winners, Benjamin Raich and Reinfried Herbst plus Austrian teammate Marcel Hirscher. Canadian Mike Janyk went down, American Bode Miller hiked after a hip plant and Nolan Kasper went down. Ted Ligety held on to make it to the second run, but well back in the pack.

The U.S. highlight was 23 year old Will Brandenburg - Ski Racing's Jr of the Year 2007 - who stunned unsuspecting viewers when he charged to eighth place after the first run from the 35th start. He couldn't complete the second run and failed to garner his first Cup points, but his speed was noteworthy.

The Canadians fared a bit better with Julien Cousineau taking up eighth in the final tally. Brad Spence finished 16th, two places ahead of Ligety, with Trevor White one spot behind Ligety in 19th. Patrick Biggs got in the points in 22nd place from the 45th start, giving Canada four scoring skiers

SkiRacing.com
Sunday, 14 November, 2010

From left, second placed Andre Myhre, of Sweden, winner Jean-Baptiste Grange, of France, and third placed Ivica Kostelic, of Croatia, celebrate on the podium at the end of an alpine ski, Men's World Cup Slalom, in Levi, Finland, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2010. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

Jean-Baptiste Grange, of France, celebrates on the podium after winning an alpine ski, Men's World Cup Slalom, in Levi, Finland, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2010. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

RESULTS

Rank Bib FIS Code Name Year Nation Run 1 Run 2 Total Time FIS Points
 1  7  192665 GRANGE Jean-Baptiste  1984  FRA   52.32  54.32  1:46.64  0.00
 2  15  501017 MYHRER Andre  1983  SWE   52.84  54.13  1:46.97  1.89
 3  3  380260 KOSTELIC Ivica  1979  CRO   53.09  54.52  1:47.61  5.55
 4  27  291145 DEVILLE Cristian  1981  ITA   52.76  55.13  1:47.89  7.15
 5  10  50624 PRANGER Manfred  1978  AUT   52.82  55.17  1:47.99  7.72
 6  4  510890 ZURBRIGGEN Silvan  1981  SUI   52.91  55.20  1:48.11  8.41
 7  13  292491 MOELGG Manfred  1982  ITA   53.19  55.15  1:48.34  9.72
 8  14  102239 COUSINEAU Julien  1981  CAN   53.43  54.93  1:48.36  9.84
 9  23  511127 GINI Marc  1984  SUI   53.88  54.90  1:48.78  12.24
 10  1  191459 LIZEROUX Julien  1979  FRA   53.55  55.30  1:48.85  12.64
 11  9  501111 HARGIN Mattias  1985  SWE   53.40  55.62  1:49.02  13.61
 12  18  192506 MISSILLIER Steve  1984  FRA   53.96  55.16  1:49.12  14.19
 13  40  150398 BANK Ondrej  1980  CZE   54.09  55.04  1:49.13  14.24
 14  57  202462 DOPFER Fritz  1987  GER   54.39  54.81  1:49.20  14.64
 15  26  500656 LARSSON Markus  1979  SWE   53.93  55.28  1:49.21  14.70
 16  25  102912 SPENCE Brad  1984  CAN   53.86  55.71  1:49.57  16.76
 17  47  150594 TREJBAL Filip  1985  CZE   54.35  55.48  1:49.83  18.25
 18  16  534562 LIGETY Ted  1984  USA   54.44  55.45  1:49.89  18.59
 19  50  102922 WHITE Trevor  1984  CAN   54.65  55.30  1:49.95  18.93
 20  36  501101 BYGGMARK Jens  1985  SWE   54.26  55.72  1:49.98  19.11
 21  63  192504 MERMILLOD BLONDIN Thomas  1984  FRA   54.45  55.56  1:50.01  19.28
 22  45  102456 BIGGS Patrick  1982  CAN   54.28  55.77  1:50.05  19.51
 22  28  501116 LAHDENPERAE Anton  1985  SWE   54.59  55.46  1:50.05  19.51
 24  41  192943 OBERT Anthony  1985  FRA   54.54  55.52  1:50.06  19.56
 25  51  50931 BECHTER Patrick  1982  AUT   54.33  55.78  1:50.11  19.85
 26  17  560355 VALENCIC Mitja  1978  SLO   54.42  55.75  1:50.17  20.19
 27  30  50981 HOERL Wolfgang  1983  AUT   54.36  56.41  1:50.77  23.62
 28  55  421669 HAUGEN Leif Kristian  1987  NOR   54.38  1:13.42  2:07.80  121.04
Disqualified 1st run
   39  180251 PALANDER Kalle  1977  FIN         
Did not qualify 1st run
   80  151024 KOTZMANN Adam  1993  CZE         
   79  180703 PALONIEMI Santeri  1993  FIN         
   77  90131 GEORGIEV Georgi  1987  BUL         
   70  480736 KHOROSHILOV Alexander  1984  RUS         
   66  380292 ZRNCIC-DIM Natko  1986  CRO         
   62  560371 DRAGSIC Mitja  1979  SLO         
   60  930105 GRANSTROM Colby  1990  USA         
   52  511896 MURISIER Justin  1992  SUI         
   49  293797 GROSS Stefano  1986  ITA         
   46  290732 THALER Patrick  1978  ITA         
   42  51395 DIGRUBER Marc  1988  AUT         
   38  102727 STUTZ Paul  1983  CAN         
   37  561148 SKUBE Matic  1988  SLO         
   33  421483 JANSRUD Kjetil  1985  NOR         
   31  560425 VAJDIC Bernard  1980  SLO         
   29  50707 MATT Mario  1979  AUT         
   20  910000 IMBODEN Urs  1975  MDA         
   19  421400 MYHRE Lars Elton  1984  NOR         
   2  201702 NEUREUTHER Felix  1984  GER         
Did not finish 2nd run
   35  530165 BRANDENBURG Will  1987  USA         
   22  301312 SASAKI Akira  1981  JPN         
Did not finish 1st run
   78  180567 RASANEN Joonas  1989  FIN         
   76  180570 ROMAR Andreas  1989  FIN         
   75  561117 KUERNER Miha  1987  SLO         
   74  180534 SANDELL Marcus  1987  FIN         
   73  501401 SAXVALL Per  1989  SWE         
   72  534959 JITLOFF Tim  1985  USA         
   71  102403 SEMPLE Ryan  1982  CAN         
   69  700830 ZAMPA Adam  1990  SVK         
   68  220083 BAXTER Noel  1981  GBR         
   67  990048 BORSOTTI Giovanni  1990  ITA         
   65  180627 MALMSTROM Victor  1991  FIN         
   64  380290 SAMSAL Dalibor  1985  CRO         
   61  500909 ANDERSSON Oscar  1982  SWE         
   59  193967 MUFFAT JEANDET Victor  1989  FRA         
   58  150495 VRABLIK Martin  1982  CZE         
   56  194364 PINTURAULT Alexis  1991  FRA         
   54  532138 KASPER Nolan  1989  USA         
   53  250127 BJORGVINSSON Bjorgvin  1980  ISL         
   48  291318 TONETTI Riccardo  1989  ITA         
   44  193347 TISSOT Maxime  1986  FRA         
   43  511174 VOGEL Markus  1984  SUI         
   34  50824 DREIER Christoph  1981  AUT         
   32  532431 MILLER Bode  1977  USA         
   24  301709 YUASA Naoki  1983  JPN         
   21  501223 BAECK Axel  1987  SWE         
   12  293098 RAZZOLI Giuliano  1984  ITA         
   11  53831 HIRSCHER Marcel  1989  AUT         
   8  102435 JANYK Michael  1982  CAN         
   6  50605 HERBST Reinfried  1978  AUT         
   5  50625 RAICH Benjamin  1978  AUT