Page 23 - ARUBA TODAY

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SPORTS Monday 3 February 2020

France's Alexis Pinturault, center, winner of an alpine ski,
men's World Cup giant slalom, celebrates on the podium with
second-placed Switzerland's Loic Meillard, left, and third-
placed Norway's Leif Kristian Nestvold Haugen, in Garmisch
Partenkirchen, Germany, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020.
Associated Press
Pinturault rallies

from 4th to win GS, Italy's Federica Brignone celebrates winning an alpine ski, women's World Cup super G, in Rosa
Khutor, Russia, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020.
Kristoffersen 7th Brignone wins super-G in overall Associated Press

GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCH- Badia, and Slovenia's Zan
EN, Germany (AP) — Alexis Kranjec in Adelboden. leader Shiffrin's absence
Pinturault became the first On Sunday, Kristoffersen
skier this season to win two dropped from second be-
men's World Cup giant sla- hind Meillard after the ROSA KHUTOR, Russia (AP) G, in GS, in downhill, it's per- Shiffrin's teammate Breezy
loms, triumphing on the opening run to seventh, — Federica Brignone won fect for me." Johnson crashed halfway
Kandahar 2 course Sunday and Kranjec finished fifth a women's World Cup su- It was the fourth 1-2 finish for through her run but the
to end a series of disap- to hold on to his lead in the per-G after overall leader the Italian women's team American got up and ap-
pointing results in his stron- discipline standings, closely Mikaela Shiffrin sat out the this Word Cup season. peared unhurt. Johnson
gest discipline. followed by Kristoffersen race on Sunday, strength- "It was really a tough week returned to the World Cup
The Frenchman won the and Pinturault. ening her runner-up posi- after Bansko for me," said in January after a 16-month
season-opener in October The Norwegian remained tion in the standings. runner-up Goggia, who injury layoff.
but placed 17th, eighth in the lead of the overall The win left the Italian 270 wore a cast to protect her The super-G was the first
and 10th respectively in the standings with 877 points, points short of Shiffrin's lead- tibia. World Cup race here since
next three GS events. while second-place Pin- ing tally. "I am happy with my result the Sochi Olympics.
On Sunday, he was 0.18 turault closed the gap to The American three-time but I think I didn't ski that A downhill on Saturday
seconds off the lead in 55 points. overall champion decided well," she added. was canceled after days
fourth before posting the Aleksander Aamodt Kilde to skip the races in the 2014 Joana Haehlen of Switzer- of heavy snowfall affect-
third-fastest time in the sec- was two more points be- Olympic resort after win- land finished 0.34 behind ed the slope. The unfavor-
ond run and beat first-run hind in third, after the Nor- ning the previous super-G in third for her second ca- able weather had already
leader Loic Meillard by 0.16. wegian finished Sunday's and a downhill in Bulgaria reer podium, a week after wiped out all three training
The Swiss skier matched his race in sixth. a week ago. she also finished third in a days this week.
career best result by finish- "For me it was a very good With cloudy weather af- downhill. Last season, when Shiffrin
ing second. day," Pinturault said. "I saw fecting visibility, Brignone Her fourth-place Swiss was also skipping the event,
The win came five days af- Kilde was also good, Henrik overcame a mistake half- teammate Corinne Suter bad weather caused the
ter Pinturault came runner- was maybe a bit less today way down the course was the only other skier to cancellation of both races.
up in a night slalom in Schl- but it is a strong competi- when she caught a bump finish within a half-second "Today it is very important
adming. tion." and lost half a second. of the winner. for Sochi, for Russia," Brig-
"The last two races were Leif Kristian Nestvold-Hau- She quickly rediscovered Shiffrin, who won the super- none said. "We have come
good," Pinturault said. gen of Norway was 0.24 the ideal race line and won G world title and discipline here for two years but
"Since December, I didn't behind in third for his fourth by 0.20 seconds ahead of standings last year, was not they have no luck with the
ski well. career podium result, while her Italian teammate So- the only top contender to weather. It's good to have
It was a long January for Filip Zubcic placed fourth fia Goggia, who returned sit out this weekend's races, a race today."
me. But we worked a lot after the Croatian timed after missing the last two with Slovakia's Petra Vlhova The women's World Cup
and today it was finally the fastest second run. races with a right leg injury and Italy's Marta Bassino continues with another
very good." Manuel Feller finished 28th following a downhill crash. also refraining from travel- downhill and super-G in
It was Pinturault's 27th ca- and was the only Austrian "I had a big fault on the ing to Russia. Garmisch-Partenkirchen,
reer win and 13th in giant to score points as the Aus- flats but I knew I could do Brignone became the Germany, next weekend.q
slalom. He also won four trian ski team had their well on the steep," said Bri- fourth different winner of a
bronze medals in the disci- worst result in a men's GS gnone, adding she didn't women's super-G this sea-
pline at major events - two in the 53-year history of the believe that the win boost- son, after Germany's Vik-
at the Olympics, two at World Cup. ed her chances in the over- toria Rebensburg, Goggia
world championships. "It's hard to find an expla- all standings. and Shiffrin won the previ-
The three giant slaloms be- nation right after the race "(Shiffrin) is so strong and ous events. Rebensburg
tween Pinturault's triumphs but I think the guys are wins so many points in the placed eighth on Sunday.
had three different winners, putting themselves under slalom, she is unreachable The victory sent Brignone
with American Tommy Ford too much pressure," head for the big globe," Brignone top of the discipline stand-
in Beaver Creek, Norway's coach Andreas Puelacher said. "But I am very proud of ings, 16 points clear of Suter
Henrik Kristoffersen in Alta said.q myself this season. In super- and 20 ahead of Shiffrin.