ARE, Sweden — Maria Jose Rienda Contreras of Spain finally won a World Cup event.

Rienda Contreras easily took the giant slalom yesterday with a two-run time of 2 minutes, 4.68 seconds. It was the 29-year-old's first victory, and it came in her 11th season on the World Cup circuit.

"Finally, it happened," Rienda Contreras said. "I've had a tough career, but I've improved step by step every year."

Nicole Hosp of Austria was second in 2:05.26.

Julia Mancuso of Olympic Valley, Calif., finished fourth.

Rienda Contreras is the first Spanish winner on the World Cup circuit since Blanca Fernandez Ochoa in 1991.

Gruber triumphs

GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany — Christoph Gruber made up for his disappointing performance at the world championships with his first World Cup victory since 2001.

Gruber, who failed to qualify for the Austrian downhill squad at the worlds and then went out in the first leg of the giant slalom, bounced back. He won the super-giant slalom yesterday in 1 minute, 18.18 seconds.

Bode Miller of Franconia, N.H., was fourth. He leads the World Cup Super-G and overall standings.

Daron Rahlves of Sugar Bowl, Calif., was sixth. Scott Macartney of Redmond placed 35th.

Notes

• Vincent Vittoz won the 30-kilometer pursuit in Oberstdorf, Germany, to earn France's first cross-country gold medal at a nordic skiing world championships. Meanwhile, Austria won the men's team ski-jumping title.

• Ole Einar Bjoerndalen of Norway won the 15-kilometer mass start for his 51st World Cup biathlon victory, and Sandrine Bailly of France won the women's 12K mass start in Pokljuka, Slovenia.

• Germany capped the luge world championships in Park City, Utah, with a fifth straight team title. The United States was second.

• Mark Tuitert of the Netherlands won a 1,500-meter race in Heerenveen, Netherlands, to secure his second straight World Cup long-track speedskating title. His time was 1:46.57.

Canadian Jeremy Wotherspoon captured his 56th World Cup race by taking the 500 in 34.96.

Claudia Pechstein of Germany won the women's 5,000 in 6:56.79.