Germany's Maria Riesch poses with the globe after winning the women's slalom title. (JOE KLAMAR/AFP/Getty Images)

Olympic champion Maria Riesch of Germany won her second straight slalom World Cup title with a third-place finish in the final race of the season on Saturday.

Marlies Schild of Austria won the race in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, by a big margin, with teammate Kathrin Zettel placing second. But Riesch's third place was enough to give her the slalom title with 493 points, just three ahead of Zettel.

"It was not a very good day on the slope for me," Riesch said.

"The first run was not good at all, and in the second I never managed to release the hand brake. I was really very, very lucky to get the title."

Riesch, who won the combined gold medal at the Olympics, could have lost the title if Zettel had won.

Schild, the Olympic silver medalist, had a comfortable lead after the first run and increased it to a massive 1.20 seconds over Zettel. Schild clocked an aggregate time of 1:49.57. Riesch was 1.90 seconds behind in third.

Schild's 21st slalom career victory moved her into a tie with Erika Hess of Switzerland in second place on the all-time list for slalom wins. Vreni Schneider of Switzerland had 34. Schild also has two other wins.

Riesch also won the world championship slalom title last year.

She finished second in the overall standings this season behind good friend Lindsey Vonn of the United States. Vonn clinched her third straight title by winning Friday's super-G race and then decided to skip the final event. She watched the race in the finish area.

Riesch's slalom title and Felix Neureuther's victory in the men's slalom set the stage for a massive party in the German resort that will stage next year's world championships. Riesch and Neureuther come from Partenkirchen.

Riesch's sister Susanne, who was third in the first run and one place above her sister, fell in the second, as she did at the Olympics.