Austrian Kathrin Zettel produced a storming slalom run to upstage Lindsey Vonn of the US and win gold in the super combined at the World Ski Championships yesterday.
Zettel, lying fifth fastest after the morning’s downhill, clocked a combined time of 2 minutes, 20.13 seconds down the testing Rhone-Alpes piste.
She finished 0.56 seconds ahead of Swiss teenager Lara Gut, who claimed silver after Vonn was disqualified for missing a gate.
PHOTO: EPA
Elisabeth Goergl, also of Austria, won bronze, 0.88 seconds off her compatriot’s pace.
It was heartbreak for Vonn in her search for double gold after winning Tuesday’s Super-G.
The American led after the downhill, 0.14 seconds up on Gut and 0.54 seconds ahead of Goergl, but did not look comfortable at the top of the slalom course and ended up skipping a gate as she overcompensated on the icy run.
The 22-year-old Zettel, currently lying fourth in the overall World Cup standings, recorded the third fastest time over the slalom at 48.16 seconds, well ahead of her immediate rivals.
German slalom specialist Maria Riesch, who put in a remarkable showing having rebounded from a horror crash in downhill training on Thursday, finished fourth, 1.54 seconds off the winning time.
Reigning world champion Anja Paerson of Sweden, however, did not even start the slalom after missing a gate in the downhill.
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