Brignone leads combined from Vlhova in WCup standings duel

Federica Brignone led from Petra Vlhova in the opening run of an Alpine combined event Sunday in their duel to take the overall World Cup standings lead from Mikaela Shiffrin.

Brignone’s aggressive super-G run was 0.58 seconds faster than Vlhova, a specialist in the slalom leg that follows in the afternoon at Crans-Montana.

A win for Vlhova and high-ranking finish for Brignone would lift both in the standings above Shiffrin who has not raced in February after the death of her father.

Nina Ortlieb was third-fastest, trailing Brignone by 0.66, one day after a first career World Cup podium finish in a downhill.

The Olympic champion in combined, Michelle Gisin, was seventh with 1.10 to make up in the slalom.

Gisin and Brignone’s Italian teammate Marta Bassino were both poised to lead when caught out approaching a sharp right-hand turn too fast. Gisin recovered but lost speed, and Bassino went out skiing wide of the next gate.

Brignone has won in a combined event in each of the past three seasons on the Mont Lachaux course. Another maximum 100-point tally would lift her 73 ahead of three-time defending champion Shiffrin.

Vlhova trails Shiffrin by 86 and needs a victory to lead the standings.

With one month left in the season, Shiffrin’s return is unclear though the calendar includes several races in her specialist slalom and giant slalom disciplines.