Hirscher clinches Are giant slalom

Austria's Marcel Hirscher, the three-time defending overall World Cup champion, clinched his 25th career win with a floodlit giant slalom victory at Are in Sweden on Friday.
It was Hirscher's 11th win in the discipline as he finished 1.22sec ahead of American Ted Ligety and 1.50sec in front of third-placed German, Stefan Luitz.
The victory also allowed the Salzburg star to close the gap at the top of the overall World Cup standings to 72 points behind Norway's Kjetil Jansrud, who failed to complete the first run.
"I followed my usual tactics -- to go as fast as possible in each of the runs," said 25-year-old Hirscher, the dominant force in World Cup skiing in the last three seasons thanks to his expertise in slalom and the giant slalom.
The Swedish venue played host to Friday's competition as well as the earlier women's event after lack of snow had caused the cancellation of the scheduled runs at Courchevel (women) and Val d'Isère (men).
First in Solden and third in Beaver Creek, Hirscher has dominated the giant slalom so far this season.
"It was a really good day", added Hirscher after the first ever night-time giant slalom in World Cup history.
"I feel really comfortable on icy courses like here and I know there is a lot of potential in my skiing and my technique as well as in my material. It gives me confidence for any kind of course sets."
Source: AFP