(Reuters) – Slovenia’s Andreja Slokar beat Norwegian Thea Louise Stjernesund to win the Alpine Ski World Cup parallel slalom in Lech/Zuers, Austria on Saturday and collect the crystal globe that goes to the discipline’s overall champion.
With just a single parallel slalom on the FIS calendar this season it was all to play for at the Austrian resort, Slokar erasing a 0.12 second opening run deficit to edge Stjernesund to claim her first career World Cup podium and the overall crown.
Norway’s Kristin Lysdahl took third to complete a podium of newcomers.
Switzerland’s Lara Gut-Behrami, the reigning world giant slalom and super-G champion and one of the favourites, skied out in what was her 300th career World Cup start.
The men’s parallel slalom is scheduled for Sunday.
In parallel event pairs of skiers compete against each other side by side on parallel giant slalom pistes.
They were held at world championship level for the first time last year in Cortina D’Ampezzo and the women’s world title was shared between Italy’s Marta Bassino and Austrian Katharina Liensberger.
Mixed team parallel will be a medal event at next year’s Beijing Olympics.
(Reporting by Steve Keating in Toronto. Editing by Toby Davis)
