CHAMONIX, France, 10 January 2005 — Giorgio Rocca summoned help from Italian slalom supremo Alberto Tomba to earn his second straight World Cup victory in Chamonix yesterday.
The 29-year-old Rocca humbled the opposition on Chamonix’s “Green Piste” which had already crowned him last season. It was further proof of his form after his victory in Flachau, Austria, three days before Christmas.
The skier from Livigno seized the slalom World Cup lead from Benjamin Raich of Austria, who was 1.33 seconds behind in second place. Unheralded Swede Markus Larsson was third, 0.03 seconds further adrift, for his first podium place.Rocca, who has now won five World Cup slaloms in his career, was especially impressive in the first leg in which he left world champion Ivica Kostelic and Raich more than 1.2 seconds off the pace.
More cautious in the easier afternoon run, Rocca clocked a combined time of one minute 28.15 seconds.
World Cup leader Bode Miller, ill at ease in slaloms this season, spent only 11 seconds in the race before a huge mistake ruined his chances.
Schild Wins Her Second
Slalom in a Row
In Santa Caterina, Italy, Austrian Marlies Schild won her second slalom inside a fortnight yesterday after the World Cup leaders struggled.
Schild, third after the first leg, clocked one minute 29.96 seconds on the difficult Deborah Compagnoni course, which will host world championship races next month, to beat first-leg leader Kristina Koznick of the United States by 0.15 seconds.
German Monika Bergmann-Schmuderer was third in 1:30.20, her first podium place of the season.
Overall World Cup champion Anja Paerson of Sweden, who has endured a difficult few days in Santa Caterina, lost her left ski on the second run and world champion Janica Kostelic of Croatia failed to finish the first leg after straddling a gate.
