Austrian skier Liensberger leads 1st run of night race with slalom stars Shiffrin, Vlhova missing

By The Associated Press

Austria's Katharina Liensberger speeds down the course during an alpine ski, women's World Cup slalom in Flachau, Austria, Tuesday, Jan.14, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Giovanni Auletta]

FLACHAU, Austria (AP) — Austrian skier Katharina Liensberger dominated the opening run of a women’s World Cup night slalom to continue her recent return to form with the home world championships three weeks away. Injured slalom stars Mikaela Shiffrin and Petra Vlhova missed the race. Liensberger built a big lead of 0.75 seconds over Wendy Holdener of Switzerland. Olympic giant slalom champion Sara Hector of Sweden trailed by 0.94 in third and was the only other finisher with less than a second to make up in the final run later Tuesday. Liensberger has won three World Cup slaloms but none since March 2022.