VAL D’ISERE, France (AP) – Alexis Pinturault was poised for a weekend sweep after leading the opening run of a World Cup slalom on the steep and icy Face de Bellevarde course Sunday.
A Frenchman, Pinturault already delighted the home fans by winning Saturday’s giant slalom on the same course.
Attacking the rock-hard snow with an aggressive style all the way down, Pinturault led Alexander Khoroshilov of Russia by 0.24 seconds and was 0.42 ahead of Henrik Kristoffersen of Norway.
Kristoffersen, the World Cup slalom winner last season, skipped a slalom at Levi, Finland, last month to protest being blocked from wearing the helmet of a personal sponsor.
Five-time defending overall champion Marcel Hirscher was fourth, 0.74 behind.
Conditions were perfect, with a clear sky, the temperature slightly below freezing and no problems with vision.