Tommy Ford swept to the first World Cup victory of his career at the Beaver Creek giant slalom in Colorado on Sunday.
The 30-year-old American, who had led after a blistering first run on the Birds of Prey course, sealed victory with a flawless second run of 1min 14.85 for a combined time of 2:31.25.
That was good enough to edge ahead of Norwegian duo Henrik Kristoffersen and Leif Kristian Nestvold-Haugen, who finished second and third respectively.
Kristoffersen, third fastest after the first run, had moved into first place after clocking 1:15.42 with his second run for a total of 2:32.05
But Ford would not be denied the first podium of his career after a blemish-free second run to take first place.
“It doesn’t beat doing it here. I’ve been working hard,” said Ford after breaking his duck in his 86th World Cup start.
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“Just kept it simple and really trusted what I was doing.”
Ford’s breakthrough win followed a fourth place finish in the opening giant slalom of the season at Solden in Austria in October.
The winner of that race, France’s Alexis Pinturault, could only finish 17th overall on Sunday with a combined time of 2:34.90, 3.65sec behind Ford’s winning time.
Ford’s win leaves him on top of the giant slalom standings after two events, with 150 points, leading Frenchman Mathieu Faivre (120) and Pinturault (114).
AFP SPORTS
