GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany Christoph Gruber spoiled fellow Austrian Hermann Maier's preparations for the world championships as he beat him by one hundredth of a second in a World Cup Super-G on Sunday.

Gruber's winning margin on the inspiring Kandahar piste was the narrowest for a men's super-g since the event was introduced in the World Cup program in the 1982-83 season.

The rapidly improving 24-year-old clocked a winning time of one minute 18.27 seconds for his second World Cup victory after a Giant Slalom in Bormio last December.

Olympic Super-G champion maier, who crashed out of a downhill here on Saturday, had to be content with second place in 1:18.28 in the last race before the world championships starting on Monday in St. Anton, Austria.

Swiss Didier Cuche, the Olympic Super-G silver medalist, finished third in 1:18.83 to make it clear that he, too, would be one to watch in St. Anton, where the men's Super-G is scheduled for Tuesday.

Many competitors skied out on a fast, icy track on a beautiful day in the German resort.

Norway's Lasse Kjus, who remains second behind maier in the overall World Cup standings, did not start.

"It was really tricky and my main concern was to avoid falling," said Gruber who knows all about narrow margins after being beaten by Swede Fredrik Nyberg by three hundredths of a second in a Super-G last December in Beaver Creek, Colorado.

(Reuter)