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CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (Reuters) – Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin was poised for her second gold of the Alpine snowboarding world championships after main U.S. team-mate Nina O’Brien in Thursday’s first leg of the ladies’s large slalom.
Italian hopes pale, with reigning total World Cup champion Federica Brignone snowboarding out and Tuesday’s parallel gold medallist Marta Bassino lagging in fifteenth after a disappointing run.
Chasing her third medal from Cortina d’Ampezzo and tenth from 5 world championships, Mixed winner Shiffrin powered down the Olympia delle Tofane piste in a single minute 13.22 seconds from seventh on the beginning record.
O’Brien, beginning nineteenth in her first world championships, then produced a surprising run to complete simply 0.02 slower.
The 23-year-old was 0.49 forward on the third break up however lacked the velocity to remain high because the end loomed on a transparent day within the Dolomites.
“It regarded like you possibly can simply assault the complete factor, so I attempted to push and let it go, and it appeared to work,” stated O’Brien.
Switzerland’s Lara Intestine-Behrami, final week’s super-G gold medallist, was third with 0.08 to make up and every part nonetheless to play for.
Austrian Katharina Liensberger was lurking in fourth place, 0.26 off Shiffrin’s time, with Switzerland’s Michelle Gisin fifth.
New Zealander Alice Robinson remained within the hunt for a medal, sixth and 0.51 off.
“I used to be actually charging on the high of the run after which had a bit of mistake, and went on my hip a bit of bit so I backed off a bit of bit on the underside,” stated {the teenager}. “I am actually excited for the second run. I am simply going to go for it 100%.”
Poland’s Maryna Gasienica-Daniel was seventh, 0.57 off, with Norway’s Ragnhild Mowinckel and France’s Tessa Worley each inside a second of Shiffrin.
Defending world champion Petra Vlhova of Slovakia was in eleventh place however 1.17 behind in a primary leg with 99 starters from 44 international locations. The second leg begins at 1230 GMT.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, modifying by…)
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