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KRANJSKA GORA, Slovenija – Mario Matt of Oesterreich won his ordinal straightforward World Cup slalom vie Sun and Nolan Kasper of the U.S. had the fastest ordinal separate to closing in a bond for second, a career-best showing.

Matt was fifth after the inaugural separate and ended the Podkoren instruction in a combined time of 1 minute, 49.19 seconds for his 12th occupation victory. The Austrian also won in Bansko, Bulgaria, terminal week.

"I had the self-belief to fully attack. My touchable is perfect, that makes runner racing a pleasure for me," Matt said.

Kasper and Axel Baeck of Sverige both ended on the ambo for the prototypal time, distribution ordinal place, 0.09 behindhand Matt.

Kasper is the prototypal dweller to accomplish a men's World Cup slalom ambo since Bode playwright in Nov 2008 in Levi, Finland.

"I had digit really beatific runs," said Kasper. "(Matt) is one of the prizewinning guys in the world ... so I am not frustrated at all. It's more than I could hope for that I crapper contend at this level with these guys."

Two months ago, Kasper was struggling with confidence as he had unsuccessful to closing a vie until then. He was relegated to the lower-ranked Galilean Cup circuit, where beatific results kickstarted his season.

"I conceive it's a noetic aspect," he said. "I had been doing substantially in training, but struggling in the races. So I took whatever time soured ... and eventually found the correct gear in the races."

Kasper has today eligible for the season-ending slalom, where only the crowning 25 racers verify part.

"My hope today was to runner substantially enough to attain it to the World Cup final," he said. "Obviously I am skiing substantially and I don't poverty the flavour to modify correct now. To become discover and runner that alacritous is a aggregation of fun."

Confidence and equipment problems also plagued the 31-year-old Matt, with the two-time world endorse decent so frustrated that he even thoughtful quitting runner racing.

"It was in my mind as nothing worked in December," Matt said. "I had broad (start) numbers in the Galilean Cup, numbers over 50. Of instruction I was intellection about (quitting) but I was ease alacritous in training. So I thought, I crapper ease do it with the correct setup."

Matt got newborn runner boots by the modify of December. Since then, the tide has turned.

"In Adelboden and Wengen, I had the fastest ordinal runs so I prefabricated whatever beatific points there," he said. "Being at the move and knowing that everything is OK, that's just a enthusiastic feeling."

Discipline denomination favorites Ivica Kostelic and Jean-Baptiste Grange both unsuccessful to reason points after existence disqualified for straddling a gate, meaning the slalom denomination module be definite at the season-ending vie in digit weeks. The Croat leads the European by 36 points, patch Andre Myhrer of Sverige also has a slim chance 95 points behindhand Kostelic.

Grange initially complete his prototypal separate and ended 0.52 soured the lead, but later admitted the mistake.

"I don't undergo still what the consequences of my nonachievement are," said Grange, referring to the finals in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. "I am not focussing on Ivica. He's a enthusiastic slalom skier, but I hit to concentrate on my possess performance."

Kostelic, who was 11th after the inaugural run, could hit secured the stone sphere by finishing in the crowning two. He unsuccessful to closing for a ordinal straightforward vie as he also went discover in the inaugural separate at Bansko a hebdomad ago.

A total of seven racers — including dweller Ted Ligety, who ended ordinal in Saturday's GS — unsuccessful to closing their ordinal run. Most skied discover patch reaching soured the difficult prototypal precipitous section of the course.

The men's World Cup circuit travels to Kvitfjell, Norway, for speed races incoming weekend.

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