Carolina Ruiz Castillo wins women's WCup downhill

[February 23, 2013]  MERIBEL, France (AP) -- Carolina Ruiz Castillo upset Maria Hoefl-Riesch on Saturday to win a World Cup downhill race 13 years after her only previous podium finish.

Ruiz Castillo had only previously placed in the top 10 eight times in her World Cup career and had never finished higher than seventh in downhill. The Spaniard's previous podium was a second-place finish in a giant slalom in 2000 at the Italian resort of Sestriere, Italy.

Starting late, she skied a technically perfect run on the Roc de Fer course to beat Hoefl-Riesch by .20 seconds and Marie Marchand-Arvier by .21. Overall World Cup leader Tina Maze was .28 back in fourth spot.

[Associated Press; By JEROME PUGMIRE]

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