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Weiss Wins World Cup Slalom

January 9, 2000 / 2:18 PM EST / AP

Angelo Weiss of Italy won his first World Cup title Sunday, denying Norway's Kjetil Andre Aamodt a chance at one of skiing's most distinctive marks.

Leading after the opening run, Aamodt appeared on the brink of collecting his first slalom victory. That would have made him only the fourth skier in World Cup history to win all five alpine events.

But the Norwegian was unable to hold his .25-second lead. Weiss, rallying from seventh place in the opening leg, produced the day's fastest run down the Kandahar course to win with a total time of 2 minutes, 1.27 seconds.

"It's an extraordinary day," said Weiss, 30, after his first career win. "I am very proud of myself.

"Aamodt is a great champion and deserves to win in every discipline," Weiss said. "But maybe he was thinking too much of the World Cup overall and in the end didn't want to risk enough."

This was Italy's first slalom victory for a man or woman since Alberto Tomba's retirement two years ago.

"We were always in Tomba's shadow," Weiss said. "Now we are a small group of skiers who know we can win like Tomba did. Maybe not as often, but we can win."

Aamodt was forced to settle for second in 2:01.71, to collect his third podium finish of the season.

A victory would have given Aamodt a five-discipline sweep, joining Luxembourg's Marc Girardelli, Pirman Zurbriggen of Switzerland and Austria's Guenther Mader, who last accomplished the feat in 1996.

"I was very angry with myself that I wasn't able to win in the second run," Aamodt said. "After 10 years on the circuit, it would have been nice to win a World Cup race in every discipline. But I had my chance today and I blew it."

Aamodt, who finished 10th in Saturday's downhill, won the weekend's combined event, which adds skiers' times from both events, and is worth valuable points in the chase for the World Cup overall crown.

But that victory was not a satisfying one for Aamodt.

The runner-up behind teammate Lasse Kjus in the World Cup overall standings last season, Aamodt has not won a proper race since taking a giant slalom in Adelboden in 1997, claiming only paper victories in three combined events over the last two years.

"I have mixed feelings about winning the combined," Aamodt said. "Of course it gives me points, but I've had nothing but combined wins for so long now.

"It looks like either I don't have enough talent or I'm doing something wrong, but I just can't seem to win. It's very frustrating."

The winner of the overall World Cup title in 1994, Aamodt has since been fighting to reclaim the coveted crown, falling frustratingly short on two occasions when he finished runner-up to France's Luc Alphand in 1997 and again last season to teammate Lasse Kjus.

Slovenian slalom specialist Matjaz Vrhovnik finished third in 2:01.75, ahead of Norway's Ole ChristiaFuruseth, fourth in 2:01.93.

No American skiers qualified for both runs.