SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2015 SPORTS Hirscher wins giant slalom in Val d’Isere VAL D’ISERE: Marcel Hirscher earned a snow, 1.58 seconds off the pace. win, Kristoffersen also went all out but French are ski fanatics,” Hirscher said. first run, ending up 2.83 seconds behind record fifth win in Val d’Isere yesterday After building a small lead of 0.14 went out of the race after straddling a Sitting in fourth place after the first run, Hirscher and failing to qualify for the with a dominating performance in a seconds over Henrik Kristoffersen in the gate on a tricky turn on the top section Thomas Fanara straddled the same gate afternoon run. World Cup giant slalom on the treacher- first run, Hirscher destroyed his rivals in of the course. It was Hirscher’s third as Kristoffersen after losing his balance Ligety has achieved just one podium ous Face de Bellevarde. the afternoon by taking risks while World Cup win this season and on a small bump and ended up in the finish in his last six GS races. “Ted was The Austrian technical specialist, who always looking in total control on the Neureuther’s first podium, while Muffat- security net after a spectacular fall. He upset about the start time - 9.30 start also won last week’s giant slalom in bumpy course where he claimed his first Jeandet again showed he is an emerging was quickly back on his feet and time - with the top part in the sun and Beaver Creek after posting a surprise World Cup win back in 2009. contender after earning a second appeared to be uninjured. the bottom part in the shade,” said U.S. super-G victory in Colorado, won by a “I was on the edge,” said Hirscher, straight top-three finish. Winner of four American Ted Ligety had another dis- coach Sasha Rearick. “He was very dra- massive margin of 1.29 seconds ahead after claiming a 16th giant slalom victory straight overall titles, Hirscher has now appointing performance in his favorite matic about how he was upset about it. I of Felix Neureuther in the French in the combined time of 2 minutes, 8.49 won four giant slaloms and one slalom discipline after crashing in the Beaver think he never got his mind off of that.” Alps.Frenchman Victor Muffat-Jeandet seconds. “For me this is the most difficult in Val d’Isere. Creek giant slalom. He skied too conser- The World Cup continues in Val D’Isere completed the podium on his home slope.”Seeking a second World Cup giant “It’s pretty cool to race here, the vatively and made a big mistake in the on Sunday with a men’s slalom. —AP Ulster hand Toulouse 38-0 European Cup rout PARIS: Ulster handed four-time champions before Toulouse had their first player sin- Toulouse a 38-0, five-try rout on Friday to binned, Sebastien Bezy getting the yellow- kickstart their European Cup campaign and card for an infringement at the ruck. leave the French giants facing elimination Jackson popped over the resulting in the pool stages for a second successive penalty for 10-0. At the other end, Toby season. Flood missed a second penalty of the half After losing their opening Pool 1 fixture but at least had the consolation of seeing at home to Saracens, Ulster were a trans- Ulster reduced to 14 men when Williams formed side at Ravenhill with South African was yellow carded. scrum-half Ruan Pienaar playing a crucial, Two minutes from the interval, Ulster match-winning role. It was Ulster’s fourth were 17-0 ahead when Pienaar recovered win in their last five home matches against from a crude trip by Yacouba Camara to Toulouse in Belfast. feed Andrew Trimble before the winger Defeat also meant Toulouse have lost chipped ahead to catch his own kick for the two of their opening three games in the score. Jackson was deadly accurate with tournament. “We just had to make sure we another conversion. sucked the life out of their play,” Ulster Pienaar was the inspiration again when director of rugby Les Kiss told the BBC. Ulster grabbed a third try. His smart cross- “We had a few more guys out because field punt left a stretched Toulouse defence of injury but the boys didn’t allow that to flat-footed, allowing centre Luke Marshall hijack themselves and say: ‘Poor me’.” Ulster to score. Despite being tight to the touch- were boosted at the start by the return of line, Jackson slotted over the conversion hooker Rory Best to captain the side while for 24-0. Toulouse lost winger Maxime Medard in Toulouse were shellshocked and Stuart the warm-up and influential No8 Louis McCloskey slalomed over for the bonus- Picamoles with a shoulder injury early in point fourth try with a more comfortable the first half. conversion following for Jackson with still The Irish side were on the scoreboard more than 20 minutes to play. after 23 minutes when giant Kiwi No8 Nick Van der Merwe added the fifth try from Williams barrelled over despite the pres- a driving maul with replacement kicker Ian ence of two defenders after Franco van der Humphreys hitting the extras from a diffi- Merwe had created the opening. cult angle for 38-0. The two sides meet ARE: From left, second placed Austria’s Eva-Maria Brem, first placed Lindsey Vonn of the United States and third placed Italy’sFederica Paddy Jackson added the extras just again in France next weekend. — AFP Brignone, celebrate with a man dressed as Santa Claus on the podium of a women’s World Cup giant slalom in Are, Sweden, yesterday. —AP Stolbova, Klimov win Vonn wins as Shiffrin Grand Prix pairs title misses giant slalom BARCELONA: Russia’s Ksenia Stolbova and points. “Eric and I are really proud about our Fedor Klimov finally came out of the shadows performance today,” said Duhamel. “We felt to claim pairs gold with a flawless display in more comfortable with this programme and ARE: Lindsey Vonn won a World Cup giant at the end of the 2011-12 season. “I was watch- through her run with an apparent knee injury the ISU Grand Prix Final of figure skating on we executed it much better than the short slalom in Are, Sweden, yesterday for her fourth ing some video from that win last night,” Vonn and was taken down the course on a sled. Friday. Stolbova, 23, and Klimov, 25, have programme and we are proud to have this consecutive victory while American teammate said between runs. “I was hoping to be in the While Shiffrin’s status was uncertain, Vonn is often settled for second with silver medals at medal.” Mikaela Shiffrin missed the race following a top three but at the same time I knew that if I not planning to enter Sunday’s slalom race. “I’m the last two European championships, the Russia’s Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander warmup crash. could arc and ski aggressively that I could win. young enough to ski well in GS but not young Sochi Olympics and world championships in Smirnov rallied after she fell twice early in While she specializes in the speed events of Because I’ve done it here before.” Sara Hector enough to still be good in slalom,” Vonn said 2014. their routine to Tchaikovsky’s ‘Manfred downhill and super-G, Vonn has now won four of Sweden, the first starter, pulled up midway with a laugh. — AP The Russian pair also finished second last Symphony’. The European champions came giant slaloms in her career - with two of them season in the Grand Prix Final in Barcelona back strong with a throw quadruple Salchow, coming in Are. Charging down a shortened behind Canadians Meagan Duhamel and Eric throw triple loop and difficult lifts, scoring course due to strong winds in the opening run, Radford. But skating to Danny Elfman’s ‘Man 132.95 points, but slipping from second to Vonn held on to her lead in the second run amid World champs Chen, Marin and Shadow’ they pulled out the biggest free third with 206.59. snowfall and clocked a two-run combined time skate of their careers, scoring a new personal of 2 minutes, 4.70 seconds. “I love racing here in ousted in day of shocks best 154.60 points for an overall total of RUSSIAN TEENS Are under the lights,” Vonn said, having 229.44 to take their first major title ahead of In the women’s competition, Russian 16- explained earlier that it reminds her of training DUBAI: Both world singles champions, Chen his first win over Chen, and by far the biggest the Canadian world champions. year-olds Evgenia Medvedeva and Elena after school while growing up in Minnesota. Long and Carolina Marin, were beaten in of his career. He ran around in small circles “We are very happy that we finally man- Radionova took the top two places after the Eva-Maria Brem of Austria finished second, straight games yesterday on a day when the and later acknowledged that he was “over- aged to skate clean this season and did all the short programme. 0.07 seconds behind, and discipline leader 2015 form-book was torn up in the Super whelmed”. “My game was to stay as relaxed as elements for the first time in competition and Medvedeva scored her season’s best 74.58 Federica Brignone of Italy was third, 0.35 back. Series finals n Dubai.