Whether it was steep or flat, Anja Paerson just kept on picking up time.
The defending World Cup giant slalom champion won her first race of the season Friday and did it with some panache, claiming her specialty event by the wide margin of 1.42 seconds.
PHOTO: AFP
Instead of slowing on the flatter section of C.B.'s Run that claimed much of the competition, Paerson extended her lead for an easy first-place finish in the second race of the women's World Cup season.
"I don't know. It's just in me. I don't train any special flats training," said the 22-year-old skier from Sweden. "I just go and I don't think. I just let my skis run. I cannot tell you why I'm the fastest one. I don't know what I'm doing right."
Whatever it was worked Friday as Paerson won her 12th World Cup race and fourth in GS. Paerson also has eight World Cup wins in the slalom, which she will compete in Saturday.
Paerson, also the gold medalist in last season's world championship, led by 0.28 seconds after the opening run, then left everybody behind in the afternoon. Paerson finished with runs of 1:12.83 and 1:14.31 for a combined 2:27.14, well ahead of Austrian Nicole Hosp's second-place time of 2:28.56.
"Today, OK I won with over a second, but that was my second run," Paerson said. "I did a really good second run. I don't think you can expect me to win with those margins this year,"
Hosp had a scary crash in the season opener last month in Soelden, Austria, but came out with only bruises. She was third after the first run Friday, then faded slightly in the second but still finished ahead of all but Paerson.
"I feel very well. I don't have any pain," Hosp said. "Today, it was very good for me."
Denise Karbon of Italy was third (2:28.65) and Sara Schleper was the top American, finishing ninth (2:29.28).
Paerson was the last skier to go in and came up with the second-best time of the second runs. She made a wide, sweeping turn at the finish and backed into the barrier before pumping her right fist when she saw the whopping time difference.
Paerson, who won the Olympic silver medal in GS and the slalom bronze in 2002, finished third in the opening event last month in Soelden. She was the seventh skier to start Friday and took an early lead that held up through the first run.
Maria Jose Rienda Contreras of Spain had the top second run of the day at 1:14.03 and held the lead for much of the afternoon until Sweden's Anna Ottosson briefly claimed it as the top finishers from the morning completed their day.
Schleper, who finished sixth at Park City a year ago, got her second top-10 finish of the season. She was seventh in Soelden.
"I'm just trying to build momentum here. If I'm consistent in the top 10 I know those podiums are going to come," Schleper said. "It's just a matter being consistent up here with the best."
For some, Cristiano Ronaldo remains the essential spearhead for Portugal’s FIFA World Cup bid, while others believe his presence would prevent Roberto Martinez’s strong side from flourishing. The debate around the five-time Ballon d’Or winner rages on, as it did at UEFA Euro 2024 and four years ago in Qatar — yet Ronaldo endures, ready to play in a record sixth World Cup. The 41-year-old remains a global superstar despite swapping the European elite for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr, and is the leading men’s international goalscorer with 143 strikes. With 25 of those coming in 30 games under Martinez, the coach
Taiwanese tennis star Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday advanced to the second round of the mixed doubles at the French Open, after she and German partner Mark Wallner defeated Slovenian Andreja Klepac and Briton Lloyd Glasspool in straight sets, despite temperatures exceeding 32°C in Paris, while Taiwan’s top men’s doubles player Ray Ho also reached the second round. Hsieh, who made it to the semi-finals in the mixed doubles at Roland Garros in 2024, and Wallner defeated Klepac and Glasspool 6-3, 7-5 in just more than an hour, converting three of five break points, while holding their opponents to just one conversion
FAST AND LOOSE: Despite command struggles, Ohtani has pitched his way out of trouble after falling behind in counts, which manager Roberts credited to his velocity Shohei Ohtani on Wednesday night tossed six innings of no-hit ball, gave himself an early lead with a home run and still was not satisfied with his performance. The Los Angeles Dodgers’ two-way superstar dropped some expletives that were picked up by the on-field mic as he struggled with his command in a 4-1 win over the Colorado Rockies. He struck out seven, walked four and gave up an earned run in the fourth inning while visibly fuming on the mound. Ohtani (5-2) earned his third consecutive victory. “Just command was off, and I just felt like I was battling the lack of
Taiwanese sprinter Chen Yi-cen on Friday won the silver medal in the women’s 400m final at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong, with a time of 53.16 seconds. Chen, 15, was the youngest among the eight finalists, and her performance also met the qualifying standard of 53.50 seconds for the Nagoya Asian Games in Japan in September and October. Chen first made her mark at the National Games in Tainan in 2023, at the age of 13, winning the women’s 400m final in 55.55 seconds to become the youngest gold medalist in the history of the event. Meanwhile,
RSS