Originally published Sunday, November 16, 2008 at 12:00 AM

Winter Sports | American Lindsey Vonn captures World Cup slalom opener

American skier Lindsey Vonn felt at home north of the Arctic Circle. Picking up where she left off last season, the defending overall champion...

By The Associated Press

AP Sports Writer

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Lindsey Vonn of Vail, Colo., won the first women's slalom of the World Cup season Saturday in Levi, Finland.

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LEVI, Finland — American skier Lindsey Vonn felt at home north of the Arctic Circle.

Picking up where she left off last season, the defending overall champion won the World Cup slalom opener Saturday.

Vonn, a speed specialist from Vail, Colo., who grew up in Minnesota, had not finished among the top three in a slalom before. She called her performance "mind-boggling."

"This is such an incredible way to start the season," Vonn said. "There's no way I could have predicted my first win would be a slalom."

Vonn overcame a mistake late in the second run for a total time of 1 minute, 47.98 seconds on Levi's Black Course.

"I was going a little bit too straight," Vonn said. "The course was getting a bit tighter and I was just kind of sitting back a little bit and pretty much stopped."

Vonn beat runner-up Maria Pietilae-Holmner of Sweden by 0.40 seconds. Maria Riesch of Germany was third, 0.66 behind the winner.

Canadian skaters repeat

PARIS — Teenager Patrick Chan won his second Grand Prix skating title and Joannie Rochette held off defending champion Mao Asada to give Canada a double victory at the Trophee Bompard.

Chan, 17, placed first in the free skate to finish ahead of Japan's Takahiko Kozuka and France's Alban Preaubert.

Rochette overcame a slight spill on the final jump. An elegant performance by 15-year-old Caroline Zhang of the United States earned her third place.

Rochette has worked with a psychologist.

"My goal at the start of the year was to go on the ice without feeling any nerves and feel calm out there," she said.

Chan and the 22-year-old Rochette each placed first at Skate Canada earlier this month.

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