Poutiainen spoils Austrian show in season opener

SOELDEN, Austria (Reuters) - Finn Tanja Poutiainen beat local favorite Kathrin Zettel by the slimmest of margins to spoil the show for Austria in the opening giant slalom of the season on Saturday.

Poutiainen won in a combined time of two minutes 24.96 seconds, leaving last year's winner Zettel just 0.01 adrift.

Italy's Denise Karbon, fastest in the first run, faltered in the afternoon leg to finish third, 0.32 behind.

To add to the Austrian team's woes, the first women's race of the season was marred by a nasty looking knee injury suffered by Nicole Hosp.

The 2007 World Cup winner crashed in the morning run and was flown to hospital in Innsbruck with torn knee ligaments.

The favorites for the overall World Cup crystal globe were below their best, with a long way to go before their main goal of the season, the Winter Olympics in Vancouver in February.

VONN STRUGGLES

American Lindsey Vonn continued to struggle in the only skiing event in which she has not yet won a World Cup race.

The 2008 and 2009 overall winner lost too much time in the first run and finally had to settle for ninth place, 1.39 behind.

Slalom world champion Maria Riesch, Vonn's chief rival, was never in contention and finished a dismal 18th, 1.94 adrift.

Poutiainen, who has now won nine World Cup races, was only third after the morning session but she was the most solid on a deteriorating course in the afternoon.

"This is a dream start to the season," she said.

Zettel had the consolation of finishing on the podium of the season curtain-raiser for the third year in succession.

"To finish on a podium at home, after injury problems and after being only fourth in the first leg is a great result," she said.

Poutiainen will be at home for a slalom in the next World Cup race in the Finn resort of Levi on November 14.

(Reporting by Patrick Lang/Manuele Lang; Editing by Kevin Fylan)