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SPORTS Monday 28 october 2019
Pinturault leads Faivre for French 1-2 in World Cup opener

By ERIC WILLEMSEN Ford and Ligety's achieve-
Associated Press ments backed up by Ryan
SOELDEN, Austria (AP) — Cochran-Siegle finishing in
Widely regarded a main 11th.
candidate to succeed Ford improved one spot
retired Marcel Hirscher as from his previous best — a
World Cup overall champi- fifth place in Alta Badia,
on, Alexis Pinturault passed Italy, last season — on a hill
his first test with flying colors where he had never scored
on Sunday. World Cup points before.
He beat teammate Ma- "I am feeling strong. My first
thieu Faivre to lead a run was just solid skiing, real
French 1-2 finish in the World safe. The second run I defi-
Cup season-opening giant nitely trusted it more and
slalom in spring-like, sunny let it go. Psyched with this
conditions on the Retten- personal best," said Ford,
bach mountain glacier. who posted a photo from
Pinturault held a slim lead the race on his Instagram
of two-hundredths of a sec- account and wrote: "Nice
ond over Faivre after the way to score points for the
opening run but extended first time in Sölden."
the margin to 0.54 in the fi- France's Alexis Pinturault celebrates in the finish area winning an alpine ski, men's World Cup giant In sharp contrast to Pin-
nal leg. It was the 12th time slalom in Soelden, Austria, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019. turault, another favorite in
that Pinturault led a race Associated Press the post-Hirscher era strug-
after the first leg, and the gled in the opening race.
ninth time he held on to the posted the fastest second before. Usually all the pres- the French team to place GS world champion Henrik
advantage to win the race. run to climb from 23rd to sure was on Marcel. But this 1-2. Kristoffersen failed to find
"Everything is working really sixth, 1.10 behind Pinturault, is a wonderful start for me." The result came as a sur- his rhythm in the opening
well, I have a good team while Swiss prospect Marco Pinturault also won the tra- prise for Faivre, who said run and finished eight-tenth
around me," Pinturault Odermat dropped from ditional first GS of the sea- before the race that his behind Pinturault, before
said. "That's something that third to 13th after coming son in the Austrian Alps start in Soelden had been he almost skied out in the fi-
brings me a lot of self-con- wide on a left turn halfway when it was last held in doubtful after back prob- nal run, losing control of his
fidence." down his final run. 2016. The race was can- lems affected his pre-sea- inside ski in a wide left turn.
Zan Kranjec of Slovenia Pinturault finished runner- celed due to bad weather son training. The Norwegian ended up
came 0.63 behind in third, up to Hirscher in the overall in the past two years. "It was a tough summer more than two seconds off
followed by American standings last season, mak- Sunday's win was Pin- because of the injury. We the lead in 18th.
duo Tommy Ford and Ted ing him one of the favorites turault's 24th career victory, didn't really know how long "It was a classic mistake
Ligety, who trailed by 0.70 to take over from the re- and 12th in giant slalom. He it would take for me to that cost me," Kristoffersen
and 1:09, respectively. It cord eight-time champion also won Olympic bronze in heal," Faivre said. "But train- said. "But it's only the first
was Ford's career-best re- from Austria as winner of the discipline in 2018. ing the last two weeks went race of the season." The
sult, while Ligety had won the sport's biggest prize. "This was the first event of very well. I had a lot of fun." anticipated season-long
the season-opener a re- "It's not so easy for us that the new season, you had to While France led with the duel between Pinturault
cord four times between Marcel isn't there anymore," get used to racing again," top-two spots, the U.S. ski and Kristoffersen will go into
2011 and 2015. Pinturault said. "We have a said Pinturault, adding it team had an excellent start its next round at a slalom in
Lucas Braathen of Norway lot of pressure, more than was "cool, a super start" for to the season as well with Levi, Finland, on Nov. 24.q

Japan's Hanyu, Russia's Trusova win Skate Canada

Associated Press 2015 and 2016. Nam Nguy- of the U.S. in second at
KELOWNA, British Columbia en of Canada took silver 206.31, while Lilah Fear and
(AP) — Two-time Olympic with a personal-best 262.77 Lewis Gibson of Britain were
champion Yuzuru Hanyu of and Keiji Tanaka of Japan third at 195.35.
Japan and Russian teen- was third at 250.02. Trusova, "This is such a special mo-
ager Alexandra Trusova 15, landed three quadruple ment," Poirier said. "Our
won Skate Canada while jumps in her senior Grand mentality every single day
Canadian ice dancers Prix debut and scored a to- is to push ourselves in order
Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier tal of 241.02 points. Despite to win. We felt really united
earned their first career vic- falling on her first of four this week and that gives us
tory on the Grand Prix cir- quads, she beat Rika Kihira, the confidence we need
cuit. 17, of Japan, by 10.68, with to skate our best."
Hanyu, who landed four 15-year-old South Korean In pairs, Aleksandra Boiko-
quadruple jumps in his free You Young taking bronze in va and Dmitrii Kozlovskii of
skate, scored a total of her senior Grand Prix debut. Yuzuru Hanyu, of Japan, salutes the crowd at the end of his free Russia took the gold with
322.59 points, less than a Bradie Tennell, the 2018 U.S. program in the men's competition at Skate Canada Internation- 216.71, followed by Cana-
point from the world record, champion, and Russian al in Kelowna, B.C., Canada, Saturday, Oct.26, 2019. da's Kirsten Moore-Towers
for gold in the men's pro- Yevgenia Medvedeva, the Associated Press and Michael Marinaro in
gram on Saturday. Hanyu, Olympic silver medalist and second at 208.49. Evgenia
who had the highest score two-time world champion, sonal bests in ice dance, defending Grand Prix Final Tarasova and Vladimir Mo-
in the world this season, finished fourth and fifth. finishing with 209.01 points. champions Madison Hub- rozov of Russia were third at
finished runner-up in 2013, Gilles and Poirier set per- The Toronto duo edged the bell and Zachary Donohue 202.29.q