Maze wins women's ski giant slalom gold

GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN: Slovenia's Tina Maze won the women's world giant slalom title on Thursday with Italy's Federica Brignone taking silver and Tessa Worley of France claiming 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.

This was fifth-time lucky for the 27-year-old Maze who, after winning four silver medals, finally won her first major title here at the world ski championships.

Having won super-G and giant slalom silver in Vancouver 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, Maze finally struck gold.

"I'm glad I'm not second placed, but first!" beamed Maze.

"It was a very difficult second run, lots of curves and I didn't find the right feeling.

"I just went as fast as I could... and it was enough this time, but it was close."

Brignone said it promised to be a big night at Casa Italia, the Italian team's base here in Garmisch as 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 Worley.

"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 was very disappointed in the first run and I re! acted pr etty well."

Both reigning world champion Kathrin Hoelzl and local heroine Maria Riesch fell victim to the icy course as both Germans failed to complete the second run.

Garmisch-born Riesch, fourth from the morning, lost her balance on the mid-section and ended up facing backwards down the course as she failed to add to her world super-G and downhill bronze from these championships.

Austria's Elisabeth Goergl, third from the morning and chasing her third gold medal of these championships after her super-G and downhill titles, finished a disappointing joint tenth.

Reigning Olympic champion Viktoria Rebensburg, sixth from the first run, ended up fifth despite having skied well at the top section of her second run to lead most of the way down before she faded on the bottom section.