Where to Ski And Snowboard - Pietilae-Holmner and Kostelic win in Munich

Pietilae-Holmner and Kostelic win in Munich

2nd January 2011, by Chris Gill

Parallel slalom

Croatia’s Ivica Kostelic and Sweden’s Maria Pietilae-Holmner are celebrating parallel slalom wins in Munich, following a thrilling play off at the Olympic Park on Sunday.

A crowd of 25,000 turned out to watch the world’s best women and men ski racers compete in the parallel slalom on the 50m-high Olympiaberg – a competition that awarded the winners world cup points for the first time. The International Ski Federation hopes the event will make make Alpine skiing more popular in city venues.

Kostelic took the men’s title, and gained 100 points towards his world cup standings, clinching the win from France’s Julien Lizeroux who went out in the second run. Bode Miller of the US was third. It’s Michael Walchhofer of Austria, though, who still leads the men’s competition overall, with 409 points.

In the women’s competition Lyndsey Vonn and Germany’s Maria Riesch both crashed out, finishing 5th and 9th respectively. But the two women still lead the overall standings; Riesch first, 106 points ahead of Vonn.

Sweden’s Maria Pietilae-Holmner won the Munich duel, with Tina Maze of Slovenia in 2nd place and Elisabeth Goergl in third. For Pietilae-Holmner it was her second World Cup win this season so far: she also took the slalom title in Aspen, Colorado.

Links: Eurosport videos