Lara Gut-Behrami steals a march in race for overall Crystal Globe after winning in Val di Fassa
BySportsbeat
Updated 27/02/2021 at 16:25 GMT
With half of the remaining World Cup races in the slalom discipline - the only one the Swiss doesn't race - Slovak Petra Vlhova will still be considered favourite for the overall crown. But if Lara Gut-Behrami can maintain her giant slalom form, she can't be ignored for an unlikely tilt at a second overall Globe. Meanwhile, it was a good day for Filip Zubcic in Bansko.
Lara Gut-Behrami
Image credit: Getty Images
Lara Gut-Behrami went top of the overall World Cup standings with gold in a Swiss downhill one-two in Val di Fassa, Italy.
Since Sofia Goggia's season was ended by injury in January, no racer has been able to lay a glove on the 29-year-old in speed disciplines and she wrapped up a fourth successive World Cup victory.
Gut-Behrami came home in a winning time of 1:25.53, 0.32s ahead of compatriot Corinne Suter in a repeat of the World Championship Super-G placings.
The slope was even from top to bottom," she said. "In the middle section I managed to drive much cleaner than yesterday.
Germany's Kira Weidle, who won a surprise silver in the downhill at the World Championships, beat Austria's Ramona Siebenhofer to bronze by 0.08.
ZUBCIC MAKES HISTORY IN BANSKO
Filip Zubcic overtook Janica Kostelic as the most successful Croatian Giant Slalom skier of all-time - and is now eyeing up Pinturault at the top of the World Cup table.
Comeback king Zubcic has Alexis Pinturault in his sights after battling from behind to notch a Giant Slalom World Cup hat-trick in Bansko.
Zubcic leapfrogged Janica Kostelic as the most successful Croat of all-time in the event as a third career World Cup victory cut the gap on Pinturault at the summit of the Giant Slalom standings.
Pinturault finished fourth in Bulgaria and Zubcic, who lay second behind new world champion Mathieu Faivre after the first run, says he's got eyes on the World Cup prize.
The 28-year-old, now just 22 points behind Pinturault in the GS standings, said: "It was an incredible race, incredible skiing. I'm so happy and proud of myself and my team.
"I'm really happy that I did it here in Bansko because I really like this slope and the people here.
I'm always fighting for the top position. Pinturault is an incredible skier and we have three more races to go - so let's see.
Austria's Stefan Brennsteiner pipped Pinturault to the final spot on the podium as the Giant Slalom leader - who also tops the overall World Cup standings - struggled in the seventh event of the season.
He completed runs of 1:08.60 and 1:13.80 while Zubcic, a World Championship parallel silver medallist in Cortina d'Ampezzo this year, showed all his resilience to overhaul Faivre's early lead.
The Croat trailed by 0.11s after the first run but completed a brilliant second of 1:12.14 to usurp the Frenchman and pile the pressure on his compatriot Pinturault.
Zubcic soared to Giant Slalom glory in Santa Caterina in December but watched Pinturault, 29, notch a stunning double in Adelboden last month.
Pinturault remains more than 200 points clear in the overall table but Zubcic has a great chance in the Giant Slalom, with another race scheduled for tomorrow and the final two taking place in Kranjska Gora and Lenzerheide next month.
Switzerland's Marco Odermatt, who finished fifth in Bansko, lies 23 points behind Zubcic in third in the GS World Cup table.
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