Schild wins WCup slalom, Vonn 6th in Finland

LEVI, Finland — Marlies Schild of Austria used a blazing second run to win the first women's World Cup slalom race of the season Saturday, edging Olympic champion Maria Riesch.

Schild, who was fifth after the first run, beat Riesch by 0.03 seconds. She had the fastest time down the Levi Black course in the second leg.

Lindsey Vonn of the United States looked likely to challenge for the podium after a fast start to her second leg, but nearly lost her balance halfway down the course and ended up sixth.

"I was skiing really well in the second run, I was really attacking and I had a really, really fast intermediate time," she said. "I just made a really, really big mistake unfortunately.

"I was going a little bit too straight and I was trying a little bit too hard. Sometimes you make mistakes when you are risking."

Local favorite Tanja Poutiainen of Finland was third, while Riesch's younger sister Susanne was fourth after setting the second fastest time in the afternoon.

"I think I like Levi," a smiling Schild said.

The Austrian, who returned to the World Cup circuit in 2009 from a year out with a broken leg, also won here in 2006.

"I wasn't so good in the first run, I was really nervous," she said. "In the second I tried to make some things different and to ski really fast in the steep part, not to be afraid. It worked out really well."

Schild won the slalom World Cup in 2007 and 2008 and took silver at the Vancouver Olympics, but said it was too early to tell whether she was back in top form.

"I had a very good preparation period, we had very good possibilities to train and also my physical condition was very good," she said.

Riesch, who won last year in Levi, said she wasn't aggressive enough in the last part of the race.

"My first run was really good on the top and then I had some problems when coming into the steep, but fortunately I could rescue it," the German said. "The second run was also good on the top and then I was a little bit too careful at the beginning of the steep."

Levi, some 80 miles north of the arctic circle, is the world's northernmost World Cup venue. The small ski resort is hosting cup slaloms for the fifth time since 2006.