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It was one of the closest men's finishes on record, and between two of the closest friends on the World Cup circuit. After 4 ½ months and three dozen races, Norway's Lasse Kjus won the World Cup overall skiing title, defeating his childhood friend Kjetil Andre Aamodt by 23 points. Kjus and Aamodt, who have both won 13 Olympic and World Championship medals, were World Cup roommates for 10 years and were both coached by Aamodt's father as children. The 28-year-old Kjus battled a chest infection all winter, but at the World Championships in February he became the first skier in history to win five medals, capturing gold in the Super G and giant slalom. The overall title, which Kjus also won in 1996, came down to the final race of the season. Aamodt needed to finish second in the giant slalom in Sierra Neveda, Spain to overtake Kjus. Aamodt finished fifth.
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