Brignone tops times in first run of Kronplatz giant slalom / Photo: Tiziana FABI - AFP
Brignone tops times in first run of Kronplatz giant slalom
Federica Brignone was fastest in the first run of Tuesday's giant slalom at Kronplatz as the veteran aims for back-to-back victories in the alpine skiing World Cup.
Italian Brignone clocked a time of 56.04 seconds in the Dolomite mountains, 0.19sec ahead of reigning overall and giant slalom champion Lara Gut-Behrami.
Sara Hector, who currently leads the discipline standings by 96 points on Brignone, was 0.27sec off the pace in third.
Hector and Brignone each have two wins from this season's four giant slalom races.
Brignone is the oldest woman to win a World Cup race at 34 years old and is gunning for her second overall title with four wins this season.
She currently leads the overall standings by 106 points ahead of Switzerland's Camille Rast -- 0.57sec back in seventh -- after winning Sunday's super-G at Cortina d'Ampezzo.
Brignone's fellow Italian Sofia Goggia, a downhill winner at Cortina on Saturday, failed to finish and will not take part in the decisive second run which starts at 1330 local time (1230 GMT).
T.Matthews--MC-UK
