Nef magnificent in Maribor
Switzerland's Sonja Nef rang in the New Year in style on Friday, comfortably winning the first world cup ski race of 2002.
The 29-year-old Appenzeller clinched victory in a giant slalom race in the Slovenian resort of Maribor, beating second-placed local favourite Tina Maze by more than a second and a half. Norway’s Stina Hofgard Nilsen took third place.
The win was Nef’s second of the season and has further consolidated her position at the top of the overall giant slalom rankings.
The Swiss star is now 114 points clear of her nearest rival, Andrine Flemmen of Norway. Nef’s latest victory has also lifted her into second place in the women’s overall rankings, just 27 points behind Austria’s Michaela Dorfmeister.
Following a memorable 2001 in which the Swiss sportswoman of the year lifted both the World Cup and world championship giant slalom crowns, Nef now appears to be in great shape for her biggest challenge to date, with the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics just over a month away.
Nef’s team-mate Corinne Rey-Bellet was the only other Swiss skier to qualify for the second run in Maribor, eventually finishing in seventh place.
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