Lizeroux wins Kitzbuehel slalom

Frenchman Julien Lizeroux won the men's World Cup slalom here on Sunday ahead of compatriot Jean-Baptiste Grange and Patrick Thaler of Italy.

It was a first World Cup victory for the 29-year-old Lizeroux, and indeed his first podium finish. It was also the first French one-two at Kitzbuehel since 1971.

Lizeroux's previous best performance was a fourth-placed finish on a different piste at Kitzbuehel last year.

Seventh after the first run, Lizeroux watched as his rivals, including Grange, failed to improve on his time in the second descent, thereby securing his maiden World Cup victory.

Lizeroux and Grange's double-act dealt a serious blow to the Austrians at their alpine skiing Mecca, with Austrian pair Manfred Pranger and Rainer Herbst having only claimed two doubles of their own, at Adelboden and Wengen in Switzerland.

Herbst started well here by recording the quickest time on the first run, but the Austrian come unstuck during his second descent.

Grange consolidated his spot atop the World Cup slalom standings after his 12th career podium placing.

The result also takes him up to second place in the overall standings, four points behind the Austrian Benjamin Raich.

Swiss skier Silvan Zurbriggen won the super-combined, which takes into account times from the slalom and Saturday's downhill, beating Croatian duo Ivica Kostelic and Natko Zrnic-Dim.