Schild leads World Cup slalom after 1st run, Lindsey Vonn 2.45 seconds back

Schild leads World Cup slalom after 1st run

LIENZ, Austria — Marlies Schild of Austria has taken a commanding lead after the opening run of a World Cup slalom.

Schild finished in 59.00 seconds after a flawless run Tuesday on the partly icy Schlossberg course. Kathrin Zettel was 1.02 seconds back in second place, while Tanja Poutiainen was third with 1.04 seconds to make up.

American star Lindsey Vonn finished 2.45 seconds behind Schild, one day after bruising her left lower arm in a crash in a giant slalom. The overall World Cup champion said she felt “a lot of pain” but never considered skipping the race.

World slalom champion Maria Riesch finished 1.58 seconds behind Schild, who appeared set for her first World Cup win since breaking a leg prior to last season.