Hirscher wins Alta Badia GS for 3rd straight year

Brem beats Gut

LA VILLA, Italy, Dec 20, (AP): Marcel Hirscher became the first skier to win the challenging Alta Badia giant slalom in three consecutive years Sunday, reclaiming the overall World Cup lead from Aksel Lund Svindal in the process.

Erasing a slim first-run disadvantage, Hirscher finished 0.19 seconds ahead of Henrik Kristoffersen of Norway on the steep and twisty Gran Risa Course.

“I skied totally my 100 percent,” Hirscher said. “I think Kristoffersen was a little bit smoother but I pushed harder.”

Kristoffersen beat Hirscher in a slalom in Val d’Isere, France, last weekend and feels he can do the same in GS.

Kalle Palander of Finland and Massimiliano Blardone of Italy also each have three GS wins in Badia.

The 36-year-old Blardone finished 22nd Sunday — which was an accomplishment with the No. 56 bib — then told the crowd it was his last time racing the Gran Risa. He plans to retire at the end of this season.

In the overall standings, Hirscher moved 20 points ahead of Norwegian rival Svindal, who finished 28th.

Kjetil Jansrud, who is third overall, didn’t qualify for the second run in 37th.

It was Hirscher’s 35th World Cup win and puts him back on track to become the first man to win five consecutive overall titles.

Ligety led a strong day for the US Ski Team, with Tim Jitloff finishing seventh and Tommy Ford placing 12th after posting the fastest second run by a large margin.

Alta Badia is celebrating its 30th anniversary of World Cup racing, with Swedish great Ingemark Stenmark having won the first race on the Gran Risa in 1985.

Austrian skier Eva-Maria Brem safely protected her lead from the first leg to win a World Cup giant slalom race on Sunday, denying Swiss racer Lara Gut a third straight race victory.

Gut, who has now overtaken American Lindsey Vonn for the overall World Cup lead, finished tied for second place with Norway’s Nina Loeseth, who secured a career-best result.

Gut had won Saturday’s downhill and Friday’s super-combined in the French Alpine resort of Val d’Isere.

Brem collapsed to the ground celebrating her second career win and 10th podium. The other was also a GS in Aspen, Colorado last year.

Vonn was 10th in the morning first run but finished 13th with sunny conditions fading on the Emile-Allais course.

Austria’s Marcel Hirscher speeds down the course during the first run of an alpine ski, men’s World Cup giant slalom, in AltaBadia, Italy on Dec

20. (AP)