Ingemar Stenmark of Sweden began what may...

Ingemar Stenmark of Sweden began what may be his last year as a ski racer by scoring an unprecedented 84th World Cup victory in the opening slalom of the season.

Stenmark, 30, had an aggregate time of 1:51.19 for the two races at Sestriere, Italy, edging teammate Jonas Nilsson by two-hundredths of a second.

Stenmark called the victory a pleasant surprise.

“I did not train too much in slalom before this race, and I still believe I am better in giant slalom,” he said. “However, when you win, you don’t think of retirement.”

The victory moved Stenmark into sixth place in the overall World Cup standings with 25 points. Peter Mueller of Switzerland leads with 40 points. Italy’s Richard Pramotton finished third in 1:51.49, and Yugoslavia’s Bojan Krizaj, who led after the first leg, was fourth in 1:51.51.