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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted at 11:46 p.m., Friday, March 13, 2009

Skiing: Svindal clinches World Cup overall

Associated Press

ARE, Sweden — Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway has clinched his second World Cup overall title when Benjamin Raich of Austria straddled a gate in the opening run of the final slalom of the season and was disqualified.

Raich, the only skier who could catch the leading Svindal, trailed by two points going into the final race of the season.

Svindal also won the overall in 2007.

Raich, who started first, quickly found his rhythm and skied smoothly through the first gates at the top of the course before straddling a gate about halfway down on Saturday.

A three-time winner of the World Cup slalom season title, Raich finished the season with 1,007 points.

Svindal, one of the last starters, had 1,009 points going into the race.

The 31-year-old Raich, who also won Olympic and world championship golds in the slalom, failed to pick up points in four of 10 slaloms this season.