Slovenia\'s Tina Maze claimed her first major title with gold in Thursday\'s giant slalom and admitted her relief after finally breaking her run of four silver medals.
Maze\'s victory gave her country their first gold at a world ski championships as Italy\'s Federica Brignone took silver and Tessa Worley of France claimed bronze.
Maze, the fastest from the morning session, won with a combined time of 2min 20.54sec after her second run, while Brignone finished just 0.09sec back as Worley made up for a poor first run to take third at 0.48sec back.
The margin of victory was exactly the same figure which cost Maze gold in the super combined last Friday and it made her triumph all the sweeter.
"I\'m glad I\'m not second placed, but first!" beamed the 27-year-old.
"The hundredths (of a second) were on my side this time.
"It is a great feeling to have arrived at the finish and to have won."
This was fifth-time lucky for Maze who, after winning super-G and giant slalom silver at last year\'s Winter Olympic Games, world giant slalom silver in Val d\'Isere two years ago and world super combined silver here last week, finally struck gold.
Brignone said it promised to be a big night at Casa Italia, the Italian team\'s base here in Garmisch, after she won her first major medal.
"After the first run I said I have to clear my head and start from the top and I tried... and yeah, I\'m here," said the 20-year-old.
"I\'m more afraid for the party and all the television than the slopes."
France\'s Worley, the current giant slalom World Cup leader, skied herself back into contention with an exceptionally strong second run after finishing more than two seconds off the pace and 19th following the morning\'s run.
"I feel so happy, it\'s so great," said the French star, one of the favourites for Saturday\'s slalom.
"I just did the second run with all my heart, I wanted to go very, very fast and I wasn\'t really imagining a medal, but I did it and I\'m just so happy.
"I think I had things easier than the other girls on the second run, it seemed less bumpy. I was very disappointed in the first run and I reacted pretty well."
© Copyright AFP Agence France-Presse GmbH - All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed. All reproduction or redistribution is expressly forbidden without the prior written agreement of AFP.
KATALOG FIRM W INTERNECIE
