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Hector leads Shiffrin as Vhlova crashes in Jasna giant slalom first leg / Photo: VLADIMIR SIMICEK - AFP
Hector leads Shiffrin as Vhlova crashes in Jasna giant slalom first leg
Olympic champion Sara Hector dominated the first run of the women's World Cup giant slalom at Jasna on Saturday as Slovak Petra Vhlova was evacuated to hospital after crashing out on front of her home crowd.
Hector pushed US star Mikaela Shiffrin into second place, with the overall World Cup leader one second behind the Swede, and New Zealander Alice Robinson third 1.05sec off the pace.
Most skiers experienced grip problems on a particularly icy track with Vhlova, 28, falling at the ninth gate and appearing to twist her right knee.
The Olympic slalom champion in Beijing in 2022 was evacuated, conscious, to hospital by the emergency services.
The International Ski Federation said the former overall World Cup champion's condition "was stabilised," and she was "undergoing medical examinations".
Vhlova is currently second in the overall World Cup standings, 227 points behind her great rival Shiffrin.
Since her World Cup debut in December 2012, she has 31 victories, including 22 in the slalom.
Italy's Federica Brignone, third in the overall World Cup standings and the giant slalom leader, also failed to finish after a fall but escaped any injury.
F.S.Meyer--BlnAP
