Baptiste Grange won the first men's World Cup Alpine skiing slalom of the season on Sunday after a duel with American Bode Miller. The Frenchman, who won three slaloms last winter but was beaten to the World Cup title in the final race by Italian Manfred Moelgg, clocked a total time of one minute 44.49 seconds. While Moelgg failed to finish on Sunday, Miller's form suggested the American would be a real slalom title contender again. Third in the first run and aggressive throughout the afternoon's second leg, the overall World Cup champion finished second to take his first podium finish in the technical discipline in four years. Miller's last top three slalom placing was a victory in Sestriere in December 2004 and he has failed to finish a string of races since then. His compatriot Ted Ligety was second fastest in the opening leg but was one of many big names to crash out on the tricky second run.
