Alpine skiing-Grange savours upset gold after four lean years (Reuters)
By Mark Lamport-Stokes BEAVER CREEK, Colorado, Feb 15 (Reuters) – Four years of injuries, bitter struggle and doubts over his alpine skiing future ended in unexpected fashion for Jean-Baptiste Grange as he won the men’s world slalom crown on Sunday. “I just didn’t expect that today,” Grange said, struggling to keep a huge smile off his face after he clinched an upset win as defending champion Marcel Hirscher of Austria skied out. “My last two (World Cup) races, in Kitzbuehel and Schladming, I finished only in the twenties so I just couldn’t imagine winning today. I feel overwhelmed.” Grange finished 0.35 seconds ahead of second-placed German Fritz Dopfer after a storming second run down the Birds of Prey piste in near-blizzard conditions, his first podium finish in four years.