Grange overtakes Kostelic to win World Cup slalom

Jan 6, 2009 - 8:07 PM ZAGREB, Croatia (Ticker) -- France's Jean-Baptiste Grange made a late run Tuesday night to edge local favorite Ivica Kostelic and win a World Cup slalom.

It was the second victory this season and sixth career for Grange, who completed his two runs in an overall time of 1 minute, 53.31 seconds.

The 24-year-old Grange finished five-hundredths of a second ahead of Kostelic, who gained ground on the Frenchman with a terrific second leg.

The event ended in early disappointment for American Bode Miller, who was disqualified due to an equipment infraction.

The reigning World Cup champion, Miller was disqualified after an equipment check showed that his boots were one-hundredth of an inch higher than International Ski Federation regulations allow.

A Zagreb native, Kostelic trailed Grange after the first leg before completing his second run in 59.18 seconds for an overall time of 1:53.36. But Grange overcame a late error to finish his second run in 59.4 seconds, barely preserving his victory.

Italians Giuliano Razzoli (1:53.66) and Manfred Moelgg (1:53.76) finished third and fourth, respectively, while Sweden's Johan Brolenius (1:54.08) rounded out the top five.

Grange has 466 overall World Cup points and owns a 22-point lead atop the standings. Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal, who failed to finish his first run Tuesday, is second with 444 points while Austria's Benjamin Raich is third with 433.

Miller fell to 10th in the overall standings with 290 points.