ÅRE (SWEDEN) - Olympic champion Tina Maze consolidated her overall World Cup lead on Friday when she produced a stunning second giant slalom run to clinch an impressive victory.
Slovenia's Tina Maze competes in the first run of the World Cup women's giant slalom in Are, Sweden, on December 12, 2014
The Slovenian had trailed in seventh from the first leg earlier in the day in Are, but finished with a combined time of 2 minutes 23.84 seconds, 0.2sec ahead of Sweden's Sarah Hector and 0.28sec ahead of Eva-Maria Brem of Austria in third
Brem had been fastest in the early run and looked set for victory before a late slip. But she can console herself with the overall lead in the giant slalom World Cup standings after three events with 220 points, ahead of Mikaela Shiffrin of the United States on 166, and Austria's third-placed Anna Fenninger on 162.
Fenninger was sixth in Are with 2min 24.21sec and Shiffrin, who began the second leg like a bomb only to lose speed at a gate, was tenth on 2min 25.20sec.
The win in the fading Swedish winter light puts Maze in an early season position of dominance in the overall, where she has opened up a lead of 177 points on 480. Second-placed Anna Fenninger, who won the overall World Cup crystal globe last season, has 303.
American superstar Lindsey Vonn sits sixth overall on 212pts thanks to her stunning Lake Louise win last weekend.
Maze, who was the Alpine skiing star at the Sochi Games after winning both the giant slalom and the downhill, said she had been tired on the early run, but woke up in time to save the day.
"I only just got here from Canada (where she came third in the Lake Louise super-G last weekend) and I've been staggering around half asleep," she joked.
"After the first run I thought I was out of it, but I went at it hard and aggressive in the early part of the second run," explained the 31-year-old, who is also the 2011 world champion in the giant slalom.
The race had been due to be held at Courcheval, France, but was moved to Are due to lack of snow at the original venue. Are, venue for the 2017 world championships, has a fully floodlit piste for night-time racing.