Cuche, Ligety finish 1-2 in giant slalom

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SOELDEN, Austria (AP) -- Didier Cuche of Switzerland and Ted Ligety of the United States finished 1-2 Sunday in the opening men's World Cup race, a giant slalom on the Rettenbach glacier skipped by U.S. star Bode Miller.

Cuche was trailing Ted Ligety by 0.01 seconds at the final checkpoint in the second run, but used his gliding skills to open a wide advantage over his American rival on the flatter section before the finish.

Cuche clocked a two-run combined time of 2 minutes, 21.45 seconds for his 10th World Cup victory. Ligety finished 0.60 seconds behind and Carlo Janka of Switzerland was third, 0.95 back, as the top three held their positions from the opening run.

Miller, the overall World Cup champ in 2005 and 2008, plans to begin his season when the circuit resumes with men's and women's slaloms on Nov. 14-15 in Levi, Finland.

Cuche is the defending World Cup giant slalom champion, while Ligety won the discipline two seasons ago. Janka won the giant slalom at last season's world championships in Val d'Isere, France,

Italian giant slalom specialist Max Blardone finished fourth and Olympic GS champion Benjamin Raich was fifth.

Skiing with a bruised leg, defending overall World Cup champion Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway veered off course near the end of his second run and did not finish.

On Saturday, Tanja Poutiainen of Finland won the women's giant slalom on the Rettenbach.

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