Swede Myhrer takes 2nd career World Cup race

Andre Myhrer won a men's World Cup night slalom on Thursday in Zagreb, Croatia for his second career victory, allowing him to take over the top spot in the discipline standings.

Andre Myhrer of Sweden earned his second career World Cup title more than four years after the first by winning a night slalom on Thursday.

The Olympic bronze medallist , who was fourth after the opening run, finished on the icy Crveni Spust course in a combined time of one minute 52.74 seconds 0.10 ahead of Ivica Kostelic. The Croat was second in his home race for a third time after 2008 and 2009.

Myhrer's teammate Mattias Hargin had the fastest second-run time to jump from 30th to third, 0.36 behind the winner.

Olympic champion Giuliano Razzoli, who was fastest in the first run, finished fourth, 0.40 behind.

"I knew the other guys were fast so I had to charge all the way down," Myhrer said.

The 27-year-old Swede, who also won a slalom in Beaver Creek, Colorado, in December 2006, went to the top of the discipline standings with 189 points, 36 clear of Kostelic.

Michael Walchhofer of Austria, who skips the technical races, remained in the lead of the overall standings with 409 points, ahead of Switzerland's Silvan Zurbriggen on 396 and Ted Ligety of the United States on 376.

Myhrer was surprised to land his second career victory here.

"I was lacking speed recently," he said. "I tried to focus on my skiing, more than on the result."

Ligety, who is dominating the giant slaloms this season, finished sixth for his best slalom result since placing fourth in Schladming, Austria, in 2008.

"My slalom is getting better. It's taking me some time to adjust the equipment," said Ligety, who switched ski brands in the off-season. "I wasn't that fast last year but this year I feel I can get fast. It's just a matter of getting everything lined up right."

No Canadians were able to qualify for the second run, but Michael Janyk of Whistler, B.C., came agonizingly close – ending up 0.09 seconds short and finishing 33rd overall.