Skiing: Riegler takes tumble in Italy

LONDON - New Zealand skier Claudia Riegler is confident she is edging closer to her first World Cup alpine slalom victory in three years after a dramatic weekend on the slopes near Sestriere in Italy.

Riegler, 24, won the first run yesterday in 51.02 seconds and was looking fast enough to be on target in the second run when she crashed in the intermediate section. She had been holding a .73s advantage over eventual winner, Croatia's Janica Kostelic, who produced an outstanding second run to win her third consecutive World Cup slalom.

Kostelic, who took the opening two slaloms at Park City and Aspen, lay only 10th after skiing a clean but cautious first leg on Sestriere's Giovanni Agnelli piste.

But she sped through the 54-gate second leg in 50.07s and then watched as her rivals faltered, fell or simply failed to match her for speed. Sarah Schleper of the United States was second in 1m 42.15s and record her first podium finish on the World Cup circuit while Trine Bakke of Norway took took third place on the podium in 1m 42.17s.

Riegler fell on her right hip, slid 40m and was slightly hurt. She is now 12th on the World Cup rankings.

"It was a good day, but a first and a fall is not good enough. I am disappointed that I fell but I was skiing fast and I could sense that it was possible to win this weekend," she said.

The next event is back in Sestriere on December 20.

- NZPA