Zubcic dominates final run to win GS in dense Alps snowfall

SANTA CATERINA VALFURVA, Italy (AP) — Filip Zubcic had a blistering second run in dense snowfall to edge half-time leader Zan Kranjec and win a men’s World Cup giant slalom on Saturday in the Italian Alps.

Racing in flat light, the Croatian skier was almost seven-tenths off the lead after the opening run but posted the second-fastest time in the final and beat Kranjec by 0.12 seconds.

Swiss duo Marco Odermatt and Loic Meillard finished third and fourth, respectively.

It was Zubcic’s second career win, after triumphing in a GS in Japan in February.

Overall World Cup leader Alexis Pinturault was eight-tenths off the lead in fifth, followed by American racer Tommy Ford in sixth.

The Norwegian team struggled in the difficult conditions.

Defending overall champion Alexander Aamodt Kilde finished 1.31 behind in ninth; GS world champion Henrik Kristoffersen placed 22nd after he only just avoided a crash in his second run; and Lucas Braathen was 1.86 behind in 12th.

The 20-year-old Braathen became the youngest winner of a World Cup race in six years when he won the season-opening GS in Soelden in October.

Erik Read timed the fastest run in the second leg, lifting the Canadian from 23rd to 10th place.

Course workers cleared the slope of up to 80 centimeters (31 inches) of fresh snow during the night.

The event was moved from Val d’Isere because of a lack of snow in the French resort.

Another men’s GS is scheduled for Sunday.

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