Mikaela Shiffrin posted the fastest time in the first run of the World Cup slalom in Courchevel on Tuesday, a discipline the American has dominated this season.
The 30-year-old Shiffrin finished 0.83sec ahead of Swiss Camille Rast with Germany’s Lena Duerr third fastest at 1.16sec in the night slalom in the French Alps.
The two-time Olympic gold medallist is bidding for her fifth slalom win in a row, a fourth in as many races this season, and her 105th World Cup victory.
On snow conditions worse than expected and a tricky course, several top contenders were eliminated.
Albanian teenager Lara Colturi, who had finished on the podium in the first three slaloms of the winter, made a mistake and retired, as did Croatian Zrinka Ljutic, the reigning slalom champion, and Austrian Katharina Liensberger.
The second leg gets underway at 1945GMT.
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