Big loser of the day, the Olympic champion Sara Hector went off the track during the 2nd round.

With 50 points from her 4th place, Worley is only 5 points behind the Swede in the giant's standings before the last race of the season on March 20 in Méribel.

"It was a difficult, demanding race, with not easy snow conditions. It shook. But this 4th place brings me solid points and the misfortune of Sara Hector restarts the match", analyzed Worley during a press briefing.

The French Tessa Worley, during the 1st round of the giant Are (Sweden), counting for the World Cup, March 11, 2022 Pontus LUNDAHL TT NEWS AGENCY / AFP

Worley will aim for a second giant globe after the one won in 2017, in front of the French public, which would reward a new regular season at the forefront for the 32-year-old skier.

Since her inaugural 8th place in Sölden (Austria) at the end of October, Worley has not left the top-5 on the circuit and has validated four podiums including two World Cup victories, the last five days ago in Lenzerheide (Switzerland). ).

"It motivates me"

During the second round, contested at night on a marked track, the double world champion (2013 and 2017) skied on a wire and her series of four consecutive podiums was interrupted.

But she faced a magnificent last challenge this winter, after her disillusionment with the Olympic Games in China (exit as a giant).

"After the Games there was disappointment to digest, being back in the game, fighting for podiums motivates me. It was worth remobilizing."

In front, the Slovak Petra Vlhova was imperial.

Already fastest in the first run despite a big mistake, she was again superior to the favorites on the second track to win with 1 sec 24 ahead of the Italian Marta Bassino, a chasm in alpine skiing.

Slovak Petra Vlhova, during the 1st round of the giant Are (Sweden), counting for the World Cup, March 11, 2022 Pontus LUNDAHL TT NEWS AGENCY / AFP

Third at 1 sec 70, the American Mikaela Shiffrin limits the damage but sees Vlhova come back to 77 points in the general classification (a victory is worth 100 points).

The fight promises to be magnificent between the Slovak defending champion and the American with three big globes (from 2017 to 2019), found after having completely missed her Olympics (zero medals in six races, three off the track).

American Mikaela Shiffrin, after her 3rd place in the giant Are (Sweden), counting for the World Cup, March 11, 2022 Pontus LUNDAHL TT News Agency / AFP

Shiffrin and Vlhova are also in the race for the giant globe, respectively 51 and 91 points behind Hector.

The two great rivals of world skiing meet on Saturday in the slalom of the Swedish resort.

Olympic champion, Vlhova has already validated the small slalom globe for this season.

Another French satisfaction, Coralie Frasse-Sombet finished 7th, the best result of her career on the world circuit.

© 2022 AFP