KRANJSKA GORA, Yugoslavia -- West German Armin Bittner held off Austrian Bernhard Gstrein Sunday to claim his second slalom victory of the World Cup season.
Bittner, who triumphed five months ago in the season's opening slalom at Thredbo, Australia, clocked an aggregate time of one minute, 47.84 seconds to edge Gstrein by 11 hundredths of a second on an icy piste which claimed a pair of notable victims.
Gstrein was timed in 1:47.95 while Switzerland's Paul Accola, the combined bronze medalist, had 1:48.33.
Ole Christian Furuseth of Norway added to his thin margin at the top of the season standings with a seventh place finish. Furuseth has 137 points to the 126 of three-time World Cup champion Pirmin Zurbriggen of Switzerland, who slipped to 16th place on a bitterly cold day.
'I had a lousy first run,' said Bittner. 'But my second run was so good that it made up for everything.'
Swede Jonas Nilsson, who enjoyed World Cup success Saturday for the first time in five years as he won the weekend's first slalom, placed fourth in 1:48.59.
Defending World Cup champion Marc Girardelli of Luxembourg failed to complete the second run, while two-time world champion Rudolf Nierlich of Austria also went out early.
Austrian Michael Tritscher, the first-run leader, held on for fifth (1:48.72) after a poor afternoon effort. Furuseth finished in 1:48.83 for seventh behind Italy's Konrad Ladstaetter (1:48.83).
Missing from the field was Italian Alberto Tomba, still recuperating from a broken collarbone. He hopes to return to competition next week.
Bittner admitted he was glad to earn a victory over Gstrein before next week's series in Austria. The men race a downhill, slalom and combined Thursday and Friday in Schladming. The events were moved from snowless Garmisch-Partenkirchen, West Germany.
'I know that Bernhard will be twice as tough at home,' Bittner said.
Tritscher led after morning runs in both races this weekend, but still was unable to produce a victory.
'The top five racers are always very close together in ability,' he said. 'I don't feel deceived, that's how it goes in racing.'
Men will begin downhill training at Schladming Tuesday.
