Updated: December 13, 2006, 1:34 PM ET
Flander, Dal Balcon win parallel giant slalom races
SAN VIGILIO DI MAREBBE, Italy -- Slovenia's Rok Flander and Italy's Isabella Dal Balcon won World Cup parallel giant slalom snowboard races Wednesday for their first career World Cup victories.
Flander beat Austria's Siegfrief Grabner in the final to secure victory in the men's event. Dal Balcon, in her first podium finish, beat Russia's Ekaterina Tudigescheva in the women's final.
Flander and Grabner share second place in the men's overall standings with 2,200 points -- 200 fewer than leader Simon Schoch, who finished third.
Dal Balcon climbed to fourth place in the women's standings with 1,290 points -- 560 points behind overall leader Marion Kreiner of Germany, who finished fifth.
Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press
