Alpine races complete with gold for Italy

27th February 2010, by Chris Gill

Italy's new Tomba? Razzoli wins slalom gold

Italy’s Guiliano Razzoli has won the men’s slalom, the concluding Alpine ski event of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

Razzoli delighted the Italian squad with the country’s first gold medal of the Games, and the first win for Italy in the slalom since Alberto Tomba took gold in Calgary in 1988. The 25-year-old clocked a combined time of 1:39:32. He squeezed ahead of Croatia’s Ivica Kostelic, who was leading the second run at the time.

Kostelic had to settle for silver, with Andre Myhrer of Sweden taking bronze. There was disappointment for defending champion Benjamin Raich, who eventually finished in fourth – leaving the Austrian team without a medal in the men’s Alpine ski racing.

Alberto Tomba, who was present at the Games, congratulated Razzoli. Razzoli said: ‘I started to ski when he started to win in 1988 in Calgary. Now he’s my friend – and I’m a gold medallist.’

Surprises

The were further surprises in the slalom, when both Bode Miller and Ted Ligety crashed out on the first run. What’s more, only 48 of the 102 racers completed the slalom course – again made difficult by softening snow and the notorious Whistler fog. Britain’s David Ryding and Andrew Noble did finish, though, in 27th and 29th positions.

Ghana got its wish

And Ghana’s ‘Snow Leopard’? A delighted Kwame Nkruma-Acheampong did not come last. He came second from bottom in 47th place, but was thrilled to have completed his first Olympic race and to finish two runs when many others didn’t make it down.

• racing
• olympics

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