Aamodt wins combined title

Skiing

Norway's Kjetil-Andre Aamodt captured the men's combined title at the World Championships in Sestriere, Italy, yesterday. He had an aggregate time of 3min 10.40sec after last night's slalom under floodlights on the Kandahar piste. Switzerland's Bruno Kernen took the silver in 3:10.68 and the Austrian Mario Reiter won the bronze in 3:11.69.

Aamodt's fourth career gold followed the victory of his compatriot Atle Skaardal in the first men's event at the championships, the super-giant slalom.

Aamodt was lying third after the first leg of the slalom, more than half a second behind another Norwegian, Lasse Kjus, who had beaten him to the gold in the combined at the 1994 Olympics and the 1993 World Championships. However, Kjus made several mistakes on the second run and finished only fifth.