The China Mail - Moltzan upstages Shiffrin to win season-opening World Cup giant slalom

World bronze medallist Moltzan, fifth fastest after the first of two legs on the Rettenbach slope in the Austrian resort, held her nerve on the second descent for a combined winning time of 2min 14.82sec.

After 10 podiums in 13 World Cup seasons, it was the 32-year-old American's first-ever victory on the elite alpine skiing circuit.

Italian-born Albanian Lara Colturi was second, just one-hundredth of a second off the American, with Germany's Emma Aicher rounding out the podium (+0.52sec).

Shiffrin, seeking a record-stretching 111th victory on the World Cup circuit, finished seventh, 0.83sec off Moltzan's pace.

Shiffrin had led Sweden's Sara Hector by 0.14sec in the first leg, with Switzerland's Camille Rast in third (+0.37).

Austria's Julia Scheib, winner of last season's GS crystal globe and defending champion in Soelden, was the biggest casualty of the first run, sliding out high up the course.

Come the second run, Poland's Maryna Gasienca-Daniel set the pace, clocking an electric 1:06.16, after finishing just 29th in the first leg.

Italian Asja Zenere, running 15th, eventually snatched the lead away from the Pole, whose time down the second run remained the quickest of the field.

Germany's Aicher, ninth quickest in the first descent, roared into first place as racing entered the business end of proceedings.

- Foggy conditions -

In partly cloudy, bone-chilling conditions, neither Norway's Mina Fuerst Holtmann nor Sweden's Estelle Alphand could improve on the aggregate time.

But Colturi did, enjoying a 0.51sec advantage at the top of the leaderboard.

Moltzan was next up and grabbed the lead by a hair's breadth over Colturi.

All eyes then turned on the top four from the first leg.

First into the startgate was Canada's Britt Richardson but an error-ridden run saw her finish well down the field.

Swiss racer Rast failed to trouble the podium while Sweden's 2022 Olympic GS champion Hector paid the price for one mistake, finishing behind Moltzan, Colturi and Aicher.

Only Shiffrin was left to come down the Rettenbach slope, and she kicked out of the hut with a 0.59sec lead.

But in increasingly foggy conditions, Shiffrin failed to maintain that, sliding wide on one turn, a move that saw her eventually finish seventh.

The men's World Cup gets under way on Sunday, with racers also tackling a giant slalom in Soelden.

N.Wan--ThChM