TODAY SAW THE START OF THE TWO-DAY GIANT SLALOM EVENT IN THE WORLD ALPINE SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS AT VAL GARDENA. THE FIRST LEG WAS WON BY KARL SCHRANZ OF AUSTRIA, THE 31-YEAR-OLD "LION OF ST. ANTON", WHO WAS DISQUALIFIED IN YESTERDAY'S FINALS OF THE MEN'S SLALOM AFTER LOSING HIS BALANCE ON HIS SECOND RUN, EVEN THOUGH HE FINISHED THE COURSE. THERE WERE 99 STARTERS FROM OVER 30 COUNTRIES. FRANCES'S JEAN-NOEL AUGERT AND PATRICK RUSSEL WON FIRST AND SECOND PLACE RESPECTIVELY IN YESTERDAY'S MEN'S SLALOM FINAL, BUT IN TODAY'S EVENT AUGERT CAME FOURTH AND RUSSEL ONLY 14TH.

AUGERT BEAT HIS TEAM-MATE AND FAVOURITE PATRICK RUSSEL BY FOUR HUNDREDTHS OF A SECOND IN YESTERDAY'S EVENT WHEN HE COMPLETED THE TWO RUNS ON THE PARALLEL PRADEL AND RAINEL COURSES AT ORTISE WITH A COMBINED TIME OF 99.47. RUSSEL CLOCKED 99.51 WITH AMERICAN BILL KIDD SNATCHING THIRD SPOT FROM GUSTAV THOENI OF ITALY. KIDD'S AGGREGATE TIME WAS 99.53 EARNING HIM A BRONZE MEDAL.

THE FIFTH AND SIXTH PLACE WERE ALSO WON BY FRENCH COMPETITORS; ALAIX PENZ AND HENRI BRECHU RESPECTIVELY. (ALAIN PENZ CAME 11TH IN TODAY'S EVENT) DUMENG GIOVANOLI OF ITALY CAME SEVENTH.

AUGERT - A 20-YEAR-OLD HOTELIER, SPORTING A "HIPPY" LONG HAIR STYLE, IS THE YOUNGEST MEMBER OF THE FRENCH TEAM. KIDD, A COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY ECONOMIC GRADUATE FROM VERMONT, LEAPT FROM SIXTH PLACE AFTER RECORDING THE FASTEST TIME - 47.84 ON THE SECOND RUN. BUT HE PULLED A BACK MUSCLE - A HANDICAP FOR THE GIANT SLALOM EVENT.

MANY COMPETITORS SPILLED AND TUMBLED IN CLOUDS OF SNOW DOWN THE TRICKY COURSE. AUSTRIAN ACE KARL SCHRANZ LOST HIS BALANCE ON HIS SECOND RUN, AND THOUGH HE MANAGED TO COMPLETE THE COURSE, HE FINISHED FAR DOWN THE FIELD; LATER, IT WAS ANNOUNCED HE HAD BEEN DISQUALIFIED.

THE COURSE IS LINKED WITH A COMPUTER IN MUNICH(GERMANY) FOR EVALUATION OF THE RESULTS WITHOUT MANUAL INTERVENTION.