Dominant Weirather in control of women's World Cup giant slalom

Liechtenstein's Tina Weirather blasted down the first leg of the women's World Cup giant slalom in Val d'Isere on Sunday. The 24-year-old confirmed her early season form that has seen her win the St Moritz super-G as well as three second places (Lake Louise super-G and downhill, Beaver Creek downhill) and a third place in the giant slalom, also in Beaver Creek. Weirather clocked 1min 8.23sec down the Oreiller Killy (OK) piste, a massive 0.66sec ahead of Sweden's Maria Pietilae-Holmner, with Switzerland's Lara Gut in third at 0.85sec. The only other racer to get within a second of Weirather was another Swede, Jessica Lindell-Vikarby. Austrian duo Kathrin Zettel and Anna Fenninger, the world bronze medallist, were next fastest. Slovenia's 2011 world champion Tina Maze had been 0.14sec up on the second intermediate time but almost spun out, regathering herself to finish 2.21sec adrift. American hope Mikaela Shiffrin, the reigning world slalom champion, was in 12th position at 1.56sec, just behind multi-medal-winning German Maria Hoefl-Riesch (+1.42sec). The race was deprived of the current world giant slalom champion, France's Tessa Worley having suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee in last week's slalom in Courchevel. Source: AFP