Maier roars to World Cup giant slalom victory

Austrian up-and-comer Hermann Maier held nothing back on his second run as he swept to a decisive victory in a men's World Cup Alpine skiing giant slalom Thursday on C.B.'s Run.

Maier, who posted the fastest first-leg time of 1:22.24, charged down the course in 1:21.75 in the final run to crush the field by nearly two seconds with a total time of 2:43.99.
The only skier faster than Maier on the second run was Norway's Kjetil Andre Aamodt, who sliced through the course in 1:21.13 to jump from 28th after the first leg into second place with a combined time of 2:45.79.
Third place went to Canadian Thomas Grandi, who finished the second run in 1:23.37 for a combined 2:46.31.
Maier, in only his second season on the World Cup circuit, said this year has been "just incredible for me."
"To win my first race in February and then begin this winter with another victory is amazing," said the 25-year-old Maier. "Our team is very strong and every training day is like a race, so I feel comfortable."
Maier has shown the kind of potential to foster Austrian dreams of their first World Cup overall champion since 1970.
He won the super-G in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, last February, placed third in the giant slalom at Tignes, France, last month and now has his first giant slalom victory.
Maier enjoyed a successful junior racing career but gave up on the sport for nearly a decade because he was too small. After bulking up as a brick-layer for several years, he qualified for the Austrian national team last winter.
"He can be very dangerous because he is so relaxed and he has nothing to lose," Aamodt said of Maier. "He is not afraid to go for it."
Aamodt, the 1994 overall champion, was ``furious'' about his own first-run performance that left him 29th. However, he was able to channel his anger and ski a brilliant second run.
"My anger helped me in the second run. It was one of the best second runs of my career," said Aamodt, who claimed three Olympic medals in Lillehammer and won Albertville gold in the super-G.
"This result gives me a lot of momentum, confidence going into the season and the Olympics."
Grandi's result marked the best showing ever by a Canadian in either giant slalom or slalom.
"It was my mission to get a Canadian on the podium in giant slalom or slalom," Grandi said. "This is a dream come true."
Racers were plagued throughout the day by soft snow and poor visibility from variable weather that at times brought blizzard-like conditions. Nearly eight inches (20 cm) of snow fell on Park City overnight and throughout the day.
Among those falling victim to the weather was reigning world and World Cup champion Michael Von Gruenigen of Switzerland, who failed to advance to the second run and saw his four-race winning streak snapped.
Another glamour name in the field -- Alberto Tomba -- also failed to finish. After standing 14th after the first run, the Italian champion did not start the final run because of a stiff back.
The victory by Maier, who finished third in the giant slalom at Tignes, France, moved the Austrian into first place in the World Cup giant slalom standings and first place in the overall standings.
Six Austrians placed among the top 10 in Thursday's race.