Gut-Behrami, Shiffrin build lead in World Cup skiing opener
By ERIC WILLEMSEN
Associated Press
SÖLDEN, Austria (AP) — Lara Gut-Behrami has edged Mikaela Shiffrin by two-hundredths of a second as the pair built a big lead in the first run of the season-opening women’s World Cup giant slalom. Austrian skier Stephanie Brunner was the fastest of the rest of the field but trailed by more than half a second in third. Defending overall champion Petra Vlhova sat .81 behind in sixth and last season’s winner Marta Bassino skied out. Gut-Behrami had an aggressive run in perfect sunny conditions on the Rettenbach glacier as the Swiss star led Shiffrin’s time by a few hundredths throughout her run. The American three-time overall champion opened the race with a clean run.