Alpine skiing-Sweden's Hector warms up for Olympic title defence with giant slalom win

Jan 24 - Olympic champion Sara Hector of Sweden held off a double-American challenge for a statement victory in a World Cup giant slalom in Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic on Saturday.

Quickest on the first run, Hector appeared to have let her advantage slip but produced a stunning burst down the final section to edge out Paula Moltzan by 0.18 seconds.

Moltzan's teammate Mikaela Shiffrin was third, 0.23 back.

"It feels so good, so happy," Hector, who won giant slalom gold at the Beijing Olympics, said at the finish after her first World Cup victory of the season. "There were so many strong girls today and a lot of nice turns out there."

Moltzan's storming second run was 0.35 seconds quicker than Hector's and looked like propelling her to her long-awaited first World Cup victory, but in the end she had to settle for her fourth podium of the season.

Giant slalom standings leader Julia Scheib was third-quickest after the first run but slid out in her second.

Swiss Camille Rast missed out on the podium after a mistake in her second run left her fourth overall.

It was a poor day for New Zealand's Alice Robinson whose first-run time left her outside the top 30.

After a stunning start to the season with giant slalom wins in Tremblant and Copper Mountain, she has struggled of late as the Winter Olympics looms large and said the effects of a super-G crash this month in Tarvisio had taken its toll. REUTERS