Grandi breaks 10-year Canada jinx
ALTA BADIA, Italy -- Thomas Grandi won his maiden World Cup victory after 12 years of trying on Sunday to give Canada its first victory in 10 years and its first ever in the giant slalom.
First leg leader Kalle Palander of Finland crashed out second time down.
Grandi, second after the first leg, clocked a winning time of two minutes 34.23 seconds down the Gran Risa course, 0.57 seconds ahead of Austrian Benjamin Raich.
Defending World Cup champion Hermann Maier of Austria and Switzerland's Didier Cuche shared third place with 2:35.14.
Grandi, who turns 32 next week, danced in the finish area after his historic win.
Grandi could easily have grown up to be a surfer in Australia rather than Canada's first giant slalom winner on the Alpine ski World Cup.
Successive twists of fate led the Italian-born racer to the top step of the podium in the Alta Badia giant slalom in what he regards as his "home race."
Grandi's parents lived in the Italian city of Trieste but they were skiing in the Dolomites just a few kilometers from Alta Badia nearly 32 years ago when his mother went into labour.
Rushed to hospital in nearby Bolzano, she gave birth to Thomas on December 27 1972.
When Thomas was two, the Grandi family applied to emigrate to Australia but were turned down. Instead, they moved to Canada and, on the recommendation of friends, set up home in Banff, Alberta, a prime ski area.
"This is such a great atmosphere," said Grandi, who chatted in fluent Italian to local journalists. "There is no technical race on the World Cup in Canada and this amounts to a home race for me.
"I may be nearly 32 but I still feel young and motivated. I knew I had the capacity to win."
In the 1970s and early 1980s, the "Crazy Canucks" had an impressive reputation in downhill racing with Ken Read winning five times and Steve Podborski eight.
Reuters contributed to this report.
