Winter Olympics 2022 - Mikaela Shiffrin crashes out of giant slalom, Sara Hector leads after first run

ByEurosport

Updated 07/02/2022 at 09:15 GMT

Mikaela Shiffrin's bid to win gold in the giant slalom is already over. The 26-year-old was trying to become the first US Alpine ski racer to win three Olympic golds, but coming around a left-turn gate, she lost her ski's edge and fell on her side. Watch every moment of Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 on discovery+.

Defending Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin has crashed out of the giant slalom on her first run on the dry snow on the Ice River course and has been disqualified from the event.

Shiffrin won the slalom at the 2014 Olympics before taking another gold in the giant slalom four years later in Pyeongchang.

The American, who is currently top of the overall World Cup standings, was bidding to win gold again in the giant slalom but she was unable to complete her first run. The defending Olympic champion could not get to grips with the snow at the Yanqing Alpine Skiing Centre and has registered her first DNF since Kronplatz in 2018.

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After bursting out of the gate, she began to drift early on, unable to get her skis around to make the next gate, and crashed after coming around the fifth gate; a left-turn gate.

"That was another boot out," Emma Carrick-Anderson said on commentary.

"Oh my goodness on the fifth gate. The ski we already saw drifting sideways. The gate before and then she goes just three gates later."

She added: "It's just a tiny little lapse in concentration possibly. I'm still gobsmacked. Very rarely do we see Shiffrin go out, especially not in the top five gates."

‘Disappointment for sure!’ – Shiffrin after GS defence comes to end five gates in

Shiffrin has four races remaining at the Olympics, including her best event, the slalom, on Wednesday.

The 26-year-old will tie Julia Mancuso for the most Olympic medals by an American woman if she wins one more medal in Beijing.

It was also a nightmare for Italy's Marta Bassino who could not get to grips with the snow. The World Cup giant slalom title holder clipped the snow and crashed out, spelling the end of her giant slalom campaign after just the third gate.

HECTOR LEADS AFTER FIRST RUN

Sara Hector

Image credit: Getty Images

Sweden's Sara Hector finished first after a blistering first run.

Hector, who came tenth in the giant slalom in Pyeongchang 2018, finished in a fine time of 57.56s.

Austria's Katharina Truppe surprisingly took second place in 57.86s with a nerveless display, while Italy's Federica Brignone looked relaxed on the tricky snow to come third in a time of 57.98s. Four tenths of a second separate the top three.

Petra Vlhova, looking for Slovakia's first ever Alpine medal, was down the slope first. The defending World Cup and parallel champion made the error of getting thrown out of one of the undergates. She didn't quite get enough on the left ski and got pushed off line.

And she was clearly troubled by the dry snow as she lost her grip again later down the slope. She finished in a time of 59.34 which saw her come 13th. The Slovakian No 1 scratched her head at the end knowing it was a disappointing run by her standards.

Great Britain's Alex Tilley is still struggling with an ankle problem after an injury picked up earlier this season, but the Scottish racer started strong on the opening turns and finished in an overall time of 1:01.40 to ensure she would be back for the second run, finishing in 28th.

There were 22 DNFs in total.

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Watch every moment of Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 on discovery+

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