/world sport
(CNN) -- Croatian Ivica Kostelic triumphed in Monday's rescheduled World Cup slalom in Italy with Jean-Baptiste Grange of France and Austria's Benjamin Raich completing the podium line-up.
Croatian Ivica Kostelic kisses the snow after his first slalom victory for five years in Italy.
Kostelic, the brother of the now-retired Janica Kostelic, went one better than on Sunday when he was runner-up in the men's giant slalom also at Alta Badia.
He clocked a two-run combined time of one minute 39.83 seconds after dominating the opening leg ahead of Grange (1:40.03) and Raich (1:40.63) in 49.26 seconds.
Grange retained first place in the World Cup slalom standings with 180 points. Kostelic closed the gap to 35 points in second with defending overall World Cup winner Bode Miller third on 80.
Kostelic's last World Cup win came in a super-combined in Austria two years ago while he had to go back five years for his last slalom victory.
"It's beautiful ... coming into the finish to see my name above everyone else. it's great to win again," he told reporters.
Norwegian Aksel Lund Svindal leads the overall standings on 430 points followed by Raich (393) and Grange on 366. Kostelic is seventh with 315.
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