Borssen's maiden win ends Schild's run

SEMMERING, Austria, Dec 29 (Reuters) Sweden's Therese Borssen today ended the winning streak of Austrian Marlies Schild with victory in a women's World Cup slalom.

Borssen collected her maiden win on the World Cup after leader Schild tangled with a gate pole near the finish of the second leg and lost the chance to get her fourth consecutive slalom victory.

Borssen's time of one minute 55.15 seconds was 0.25 seconds faster than second-placed Kathrin Zettel, the local favourite.

Schild, the Olympic bronze medallist who had won the first three slaloms of the season, recovered to finish third in 1:55.57 but was in tears in the finish area.

The Austrian, fastest after the first leg on the icy course, sped down the second run until she clipped her arm on one of the last gates and briefly lost the racing line.

Suspecting that Schild might have straddled a gate, the race jury reviewed videotape of her run several times before clearing her.

''Obviously I am really, really disappointed -- not because of the third place but because of what happened,'' Schild told reporters.

''As I was coming down the hill I heard over the loudspeakers that I was one-and-a-half seconds ahead...and then I made this silly mistake and I can't understand how I did it,'' she said.

''Everything was going so well for me until that happened.'' KNEE INJURY Borssen's better-known team mate Anja Paerson, the Olympic champion, missed the race to go for an X-ray on her left knee which has continued to trouble her despite surgery in March.

''I am really happy because when I crossed the finish line Anja called to send me some kisses and congratulate me,'' said Borssen, who had been a distant 0.82 seconds behind Schild in second place after the first leg.

''I was a long way back from Marlies and I couldn't have imagined that my first victory would be today,'' added the 22-year-old Borssen who became the first non-Austrian woman to win a technical race this season.

''Marlies is so good that it was impossible for me to imagine that I could beat her.'' Schild's third place allowed her to seize the overall cup lead from team mate Nicole Hosp who failed to finish the first leg.

Zettel had led an Austrian podium sweep in Thursday's giant slalom, followed by Hosp and Schild, and said the local fans had helped her.

''The atmosphere was amazing and that buoyed me up,'' Zettel, 20, told reporters. ''I gave everything I could and more today but it was such an extremely difficult race to ski.'' Finland's world silver medallist Tanja Poutiainen had been fourth after the first leg but fell near the bottom of the second run.

Lindsey Kildow, the sole American to make the second-run cut, lost control of her right ski and skidded out while German Annemarie Gerg, seventh after the first leg, missed a gate.

Croatia's Ana Jelusic equalled her best World Cup result with fourth place, cheered on by compatriot Janica Kostelic who has opted to take a sabbatical this season rather than defend her overall and slalom World Cup titles.

Reuters SBA VP0225