Switzerland's Lara Gut won the World Cup season-opening giant slalom race in Soelden on Saturday, taking her first ever victory in the discipline.
Gut finished first with a total time of 2min 25.16sec, ahead of Austria's Kathrin Zettel at 2:26.00 and Germany's Viktoria Rebensburg at 2:26.44.
The 22-year-old's best result in the World Cup giant slalom so far had been third places in Semmering in 2008 and in Lenzerheide this past March.
Her three World Cup wins meanwhile had been in the speed disciplines, in the downhill and super-G.
Gut's nearest rival Zettel, who finished second in last year's race, took her fifth podium in Soelden, where she won in 2008. Rebensburg won two years later.
The overwhelming favourite to win on Saturday, giant slalom World Cup winner Tina Maze of Slovenia, stunned with a rare poor performance, finishing a mere 18th, 3.05sec behind Gut.
Maze won here last year and had been chasing a record fourth win in Soelden.
On the other hand, young US star Mikaela Shiffrin -- who made a splash last season, winning the slalom crystal globe and world championship title -- impressed with two smooth runs, to finish sixth.
US star Lindsey Vonn, Maze's biggest rival and a top trophy contender again this season, had decided to sit out the first race to train as she recovers from a knee injury suffered in a horrid crash at the world championships in February.
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