Skiing: Second success for Maier

ULRIKE MAIER, of Austria, won her second World Cup giant slalom of the season in Maribor yesterday. Her combined time at the Slovenian resort was 2min 28.83sec, just ahead of the Swiss veteran Vreni Schneider, who finished in 2:29.08.

Schneider, lying third after the first leg, skied a superb second leg down the mostly artificial snow of the Pohorje course to push Germany's Katja Seizinger into third place.

The overall World Cup leader, Pernilla Wiberg, made some costly mistakes on the second leg and dropped from ninth to 12th. But the Swede retains her lead over the defending champion, Anita Wachter of Austria, who finished fifth in 2:30.21.

Maier, winner of a giant slalom in Santa Catarina, Italy, last November, said: 'I had a great first run. I was a little nervous before the second leg but once I was on course, I had the feeling that I could win.'

Germany's Martina Ertl, equal ninth after the first leg, skied an aggressive second leg to finish fourth overall.