Aubert navigates foggy course to win women’s slalom; Riesch takes overall lead from Vonn

Aubert wins foggy women’s slalom in Sweden

ARE, Sweden — Sandrine Aubert of France won her first World Cup race of the season Sunday by besting world champion Maria Riesch in the foggy second run of a women’s slalom.

Riesch finished second but still overtook Lindsey Vonn in the overall standings. The American finished eighth and is now 20 points behind Riesch.

Aubert navigated the thick fog on the Olympia course flawlessly to finish in a combined time of 1 minute, 43.24 seconds. Riesch finished 0.45 seconds back after leading the first run.

It was Aubert’s third World Cup victory — and second in Are, where she won the slalom in the season-ending meet in March.

“I think this slope likes me, and I like her,” Aubert said.

Riesch was joined on the podium by her younger sister for the first time, as Susanne Riesch used a blazing run on the lower part of the course to climb from seventh to third.

“This was our dream before the season started, that maybe we can do this once — and maybe a few more times,” Maria Riesch said. “It was a perfect Riesch day.”

Susanne had finished fourth in two slaloms earlier this season, but had never finished in the top three.

“I skied very fast in the summer training, and I was two times fourth, so I’m very happy to be on the podium,” she said. “I will (continue to) ski as fast as I can, and hopefully we’ll have more competitions (involving) our family.”

Maria Riesch held a 0.6-second lead after the first run, but skied a bit too carefully in the second after going out in Saturday’s giant slalom when she had a chance to make the podium.

“I didn’t want to do the same again, so it was a bit safer,” said Riesch, who now leads the overall standings with 441 points.

Vonn, who also skied out Saturday, is second with 421. However, the defending overall champion could well make up the difference when the speed events return next weekend in Val d’Isere, France — where she won world titles in downhill and super-G this year.

“I think it would have been a bit more dangerous if she would’ve finished yesterday and made some points,” Vonn said of Riesch. “But it’s still a long season left, and I’m not really thinking about the overall yet.”

Vonn was eighth after the first run and failed to make up any ground in the second, as she also focused on staying on her feet.

“I was more trying to just finish,” she said. “It was pretty dangerous with the condition on the course, it was really easy to go out. Especially with the flat light, with the fog. So my goal was to have a solid result and get to the finish today and build some more confidence for the next races.”

Kathrin Zettel of Austria — who finished third in the GS on Saturday — tied for fourth with home favorite Anja Paerson of Sweden. Paerson, the Olympic slalom champion, is still looking for her first podium of the season.

After relatively clear weather in the morning, the thick fog forced organizers to keep the floodlights on in the second, and caused plenty of trouble for the skiers.

“I was always looking through my skis, just to see the next gate,” Aubert said. “We couldn’t see anything. … Sometimes, it’s just your day. And I think today it was.”