Italy's Karbon completes giant slalom hat-trick in Linz
LINZ, Austria (AFP) — Italy's Denise Karbon claimed her third World Cup giant slalom success of the season in as many races here on Friday.
The 27-year-old clocked the fastest times in both runs to finish 1.28sec ahead of American Julia Mancuso with Italy's Nicole Gius snatching third place at 1.62sec.
Karbon has gotten off to a flying start this season in her favourite discipline after four years hit by knee and ankle injuries.
Her success was her fourth in World Cup races after Solden, Austria and Panorama, Canada this season and Alta Badia, Italy in 2003.
"The second leg included tricky passages which had to be mastered to win," said Karbon.
"Between those passages I had to give it everything I had, which I succeeded in doing perfectly."
The mighty Austrians were wiped out on their home ground with Elisabeth Gorgl taking fourth, as race favourites Nicole Hosp (16th) and Marlies Schild (24th) finished way out of contention after struggling on both runs.
Hosp described the morning as "a cursed day for Austria".
But if the hosts had a disastrous showing, Italy shone with four top ten finishes - Karbon, Gius, Manuela Molgg (7th) and Camilla Alfieri (10th).
Karbon added: "We're beginning to reap the rewards of our hard work."
World Cup leader Lindsey Vonn of the United Staets, who is not a giant slalom specialist, dropped out of contention from the first run in which she finished 38th.
Vonn, however, remains in command in the overall World Cup standings after 13 events with a total of 474 points, ahead of Mancuso (444) and Hosp (434).
But the season looks certainly over for her teammate Resi Stiegler who was stretchered off after suffering a spectacular fall in which she narrowly missed hitting her head against a tree.
Stiegler, 22, suffered a broken left arm and right leg as well as torn cruciate ligaments to her right knee after she slid off the piste and under the protective netting during her opening run.
The daughter of men's 1964 Olympic slalom champion Pepi Stiegler, who is originally from Linz, Stiegler left hospital in plaster and has decided to undergo surgery on her injuries in the United States.
