As Petra Vlhová tried to get her first win of the season, Petra Vlhová took the lead after the first run of a World Cup giant slalom on Saturday.
In Sestriere, the Slovakian skier finished in one minute, 12.30 seconds, giving her a slim 0.07 advantage over the Italian Marta Bassino, who had started the race. France’s Tessa Worley came in third, 0.40 behind Vlhová.
Mikaela Shiffrin, Ragnhild Mowinckel, Sara Hector, and Federica Brignone were the four other skiers who finished within a second of Vlhová.
Lara Gut-Behrami, the world champion, placed eighth, 1.12 behind Vlhová, having won the season’s one other GS.
Vlhová, a 27-year-old, finished second to Shiffrin in the overall standings despite winning the slalom title and the Olympic gold. The year before, Vlhová won the overall title.
After winning the two slalom races that marked the start of the season, Shiffrin now holds the overall lead. In both, Vlhová came in third place.
Both opted out of the speed races last weekend in Lake Louise, Canada, and neither made it to the podium in the GS or slalom events in Killington, Vermont.
