(Lienz) The American Mikaela Shiffrin achieved the best time in the first round of the giant slalom in Lienz, Thursday in Austria, relegating almost all her opponents to more than a second, and the Slovakian Petra Vlhova to more than two seconds.
The five-time winner of the big globe finished 63 hundredths of a second ahead of Swede Sara Hector and left third, Norwegian Ragnhild Mowinckel, 1 sec 03 behind.
Shiffrin, 28, leads the World Cup standings with 700 points, 143 points ahead of runner-up Federica Brignone.
The Italian took fifth place in the first round in Lienz, 1 sec 63 behind the American, while third in the general classification, Vlhova, took a disappointing 18th place 2 sec 23 behind.
Shiffrin is aiming for a 22nd giant slalom victory, and a 92nd World Cup victory, to further establish her record.
The second round is scheduled for 1:15 p.m.
