Baumann delivers as Janka takes super-combi title

ROMED Baumann sent Austrian selectors a clear message as he won the final World Cup super-combined of the season in Sestriere.

Baumann left this month's World Championships in disappointment after he was dropped from his national giant slalom team.

But the 23-year old responded in style to claim only the second podium finish of his career - leading after the super-G leg and finishing 16th in t he slalom for a combined time of two minutes 25.73 seconds.

"I have been fighting too much in recent years and was probably too tense," he admitted.

"My plan now is not to stress, I just tried to take it easy and the tactic seems to have worked."

France's Julien Lizeroux was second, three tenths of a second behind, while Carlo Janka and Christof Innerhofer shared third.

Janka's podium place secures him the overall World Cup super-combined title ahead of Swiss team-mate Silvan Zurbriggen.

Last year's crystal globe winner, American Bode Miller, was absent after quitting the slopes for a sunshine break following his failure to medal in Val d'Isere.

"I never really focused on winning a World Cup discipline, but it's great to take a crystal globe home," said the 22-year-old Janka.

"I wasn't nervous before my slalom today, I just wanted to put in a clean run."

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