The ÖSV team is looking to make amends at the start of the season in Tyrol. After the first round, Gut-Behrami is just ahead of Shiffrin.
World champion Lara Gut-Behrami leads after the first round of the World Cup giant slalom in Sölden. At the alpine ski season opener, the Swiss woman has 2/100 seconds ahead of vice world champion Mikaela Shiffrin from the USA. The Austrians got off to a strong start, Stephanie Brunner came in third (+0.54 seconds), Cortina bronze medalist Katharina Liensberger was fourth on the Rettenbachferner for the time being (+0.63).
Overall World Cup winner Petra Vlhova from Slovakia was sixth (+0.81), followed by another Austrian with Ricarda Haaser (+1.30) in tenth place after 40 runners. To find the last podium place for an ÖSV runner in Sölden, you have to go back a long way, in 2014 Anna Veith won, Eva-Maria Brem was third. With Marta Bassino, the Sölden winner and ball winner of the previous season already retired.
“A wonderful slope. The sun and the slopes are also the best prerequisites for a cool start to the season,” Gut-Behrami said in an interview with ORF TV. Brunner promised “full throttle” again for the second round (from 1:15 pm, live ORF one).
