Mikaela Shiffrin built a commanding lead in the opening run of a women’s World Cup giant slalom on Tuesday, with three of the American's main rivals sitting out the race after positive COVID-19 tests.
The Olympic champion had a near-flawless run on the Emile Allais course to lead Michelle Gisin by .74. The Swiss was the only skier to finish within a second of Shiffrin’s time.
“I think I have a pretty good tactics for skiing the hill with an aggressive mindset. I really skied that how I wanted to ski it,” said Shiffrin, who won the race last year for her emotional first victory after returning from a 10-month break from the sport following the death of her father.
United States' Mikaela Shiffrin speeds down the slope during the first run of an alpine ski, women's World Cup giant slalom, in Courchevel, France, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021. (AP PhotoMarco Trovati)
“I tried to be as clean as I could with the better surface because I think it could get bumpy in the second,” she added.
Defending overall champion Petra Vlhova, who skipped the last three weekends of speed racing to focus on the technical events, had 1.39 to make up on Shiffrin in the second leg.
Sofia Goggia, who overtook Shiffrin at the top of the overall standings with two wins in nearby Val d’Isère last weekend, was 1.75 behind. Goggia's Italian teammate, World Cup GS champion Marta Bassino, failed to finish after she slid off the course into the safety netting half a minute into her run.
Switzerland's Michelle Gisin speeds down the slope during the first run of an alpine ski, women's World Cup giant slalom, in Courchevel, France, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021. (AP PhotoMarco Trovati)
World champion Lara Gut-Behrami, slalom World Cup winner Katharina Liensberger, and New Zealand’s Alice Robinson had to skip the race after testing positive for the coronavirus.
Gut-Behrami and Liensberger placed second and fourth, respectively, in the only previous GS this season, which was won by Shiffrin. Robinson had won the season-ending race in March.
The trio was expected to also miss a second GS in the French Alps on Wednesday, which replaces the race that was canceled in Killington, Vermont, last month.
Slovakia's Petra Vlhova speeds down the slope during the first run of an alpine ski, women's World Cup giant slalom, in Courchevel, France, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021. (AP PhotoMarco Trovati)
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Italy's Sofia Goggia speeds down the slope during the first run of an alpine ski, women's World Cup giant slalom, in Courchevel, France, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021. (AP PhotoMarco Trovati)