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Brignone denies Gut-Behrami with Are giant slalom win / Photo: Pontus LUNDAHL - TT News Agency/AFP
Brignone denies Gut-Behrami with Are giant slalom win
Italian skier Federica Brignone blazed to victory in the World Cup giant slalom in Are on Saturday to make title-chasing Swiss star Lara Gut-Behrami wait for victory in the discipline this season.
Third at the end of the first run, the 33-year-old Brignone perfectly executed the second run, with a risk-taking performance which left her rivals with no chance.
Gut-Behrami could have wrapped up the World Cup giant slalom title this season in the Swedish resort if she had bettered Brignone.
But the Swiss skier finished third overall meaning that the discipline title will go down to the wire and be decided next weekend in Saalbach, Austria.
Brignone claimed her 26th World Cup victory with a time of two minutes 11.02sec to finish 0.33sec ahead of home hope Sara Hector of Sweden with Gut-Behrami third at 0.40sec.
Hector had led the first run with Gut-Behrami 0.61sec off the pace and Brignone third fastest at 1.16sec.
The success allowed Brignone take 40 points from Gut-Behrami and therefore theoretically still remains in the race for the giant slalom globe, which nevertheless seems promised to the Swiss.
Gut-Behrami has 745 points in the specialty rankings, 95 more than Brignone. She would have had to be at least 100 points ahead of the Italian to ensure she won her first giant globe.
The alpine skiing World Cup season continues on Sunday in Sweden with the women's slalom, before the season finale in Austria from March 16 to 23.
M.Johnston--SMC
