Defending overall champion Aksel Lund Svindal wins World Cup super-G, Janka takes 2nd

Aksel Lund Svindal wins World Cup super-G

VAL GARDENA, Italy — Defending overall World Cup champion Aksel Lund Svindal won a super-G on Friday for his first victory of the season.

The Norwegian covered the 1.5-mile Saslong course in 1 minute, 38.35 seconds. Carlo Janka of Switzerland was second, 0.12 seconds behind, and Patrick Staudbacher of Italy was third, 0.17 back.

Bode Miller of the United States was fifth, and Dider Cuche of Switzerland skied off course early in run. Several other racers also fell.

Lower-ranked skiers were still coming down.

The classic downhill was scheduled for Saturday on the Saslong, with the circuit then traversing the Gardena pass to nearby Alta Badia for giant slalom and slalom races Sunday and Monday.