Skiing: Svindal claims first World Cup victory

LAKE LOUISE, Canada - Aksel Lund Svindal completed a great weekend for Norwegians when he blazed to a maiden World Cup skiing victory in the season's opening men's super-G today.

After teammate Kjetil Andre Aamodt came second in yesterday's downhill, Svindal went one better to clinch victory in a time of one minute 26.04 seconds, edging out Austria's Benjamin Raich by the narrowest of margins.

Raich clocked 1min 26.11sec, with American Daron Rahlves third in 1min 26.12sec. Ambrosi Hoffmann, of Switzerland, was fourth in 1min 26.35sec.

Two of the race favourites, World Cup champion Bode Miller and Austrian great Hermann Maier, paid for big mistakes when they had looked on course for victory.

Four-time overall champion Maier finished 21st after almost skiing off the course while Miller could only manage 18th after almost crashing halfway down.

- REUTERS