Nestvold-Haugen leads 1st run of Alta Badia giant slalom

LA VILLA, Italy (AP) — Seeking his first career World Cup victory, Norwegian skier Leif Kristian Nestvold-Haugen led the first run of the Alta Badia giant slalom amid blizzard conditions on Sunday.

The 32-year-old Nestvold-Haugen was 0.07 seconds ahead of rising Swiss talent Marco Odermatt, with French favorite Alexis Pinturault 0.20 back in third.

Nestvold-Haugen finished third in the GS in Beaver Creek, Colorado this month, while his best World Cup result was second in a GS in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia in 2017. He also won a bronze medal in the GS at the 2017 world championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

Slalom specialist Marco Schwarz was fourth and speed specialist Aleksander Aamodt Kilde was fifth wearing the No. 32 bib. Henrik Kristoffersen was next with the top finishers all within three tenths of a second of each other.

The conditions proved difficult for Americans Tommy Ford and Ted Ligety.

Ford, coming off his first career win in Beaver Creek, made a big mistake at the beginning of his run and placed 14th, 0.78 behind. Ligety, the only active skier to win this race before, misjudged an artificial jump toward the end of his run and missed the next gate.

After Ligety’s second victory on the Gran Risa course in 2012, the last six races held here were won by Marcel Hirscher, who recently retired.