Lindsey Vonn led the opening run of a World Cup giant slalom in Are, Sweden, on Saturday while American teammate Mikaela Shiffrin missed the race following a warmup crash.
Vonn was flawless down a course that was shorted due to strong winds, clocking 1 minute, 3.29 seconds for a 0.33-second lead over home favorite Frida Hansdotter of Sweden.
Vonn is aiming for her fourth straight win after sweeping three speed races in Lake Louise, Alberta, last weekend. She celebrated her first-run lead by raising her left pole and pumping her fist.
While she specializes in the speed events of downhill and super-G, Vonn has also won three giant slaloms in her career – one of them coming in Are in 2012.
“I was watching some video from that win last night and I have a lot of confidence coming into this race from Lake Louise,” Vonn said. “So I just gave it everything I have and I tried to arc and I’m happy that I was fast.”