Grange sees off Miller to win Levi slalom

LEVI, Finland (Reuters) - France's Jean-Baptiste Grange won the first men's World Cup Alpine skiing slalom of the season Sunday after fending off the challenge of 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 over the two legs.

"I was not in Levi for a podium, only for a win," said Grange after the fifth World Cup victory of his career and fourth in slalom.

"To start like this is important for me and the rest of the team. Such a start sets the tone and can change our perspective for the whole season," added the 24-year-old, who has the world championships to look forward to on home snow at Val d'Isere in February.

While Moelgg failed to finish Sunday, Miller's form suggested the American would be a real slalom title contender again after concentrating on downhills and super-G in recent years.

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.

LITTLE MISTAKES

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.

"I took a lot of risks and as a result made little mistakes. But even with a flawless performance, I think Grange would have left me some 0.2 seconds behind," he said.

"I wouldn't say I'm back on the right track in slaloms because things have changed and I don't ski the same anymore," added Miller.

"But this shows how competitive I am and I hope I can maintain that level of aggression for the whole season, even though I doubt it."

Miller's 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.

Moelgg slid out in the afternoon when patches of ice caught many skiers unawares.

Austrians Benjamin Raich, the Olympic champion, and Reinfried Herbst were both eliminated in the second run after lying fourth and fifth in the morning respectively.

World champion Mario Matt restored Austrian pride with third place, 0.93 seconds behind Grange.

"It's always great to start well, because it has not been the case in recent years when I had to go through periods of doubt," said Matt.

(Reporting by Patrick Lang; editing by Alan Baldwin)