Alexis Pinturault of France stunned overall Cup leader Marcel Hirscher of Austria by winning a World Cup giant slalom at Kranjska Gora on Saturday.
A week ahead of his 24th birthday, the Courcheval skier dominated the first leg, 0.61sec faster than Hirscher who was level with Felix Neurather of Germany.
Hirscher, who is targetting a fourth straight overall World Cup title, attacked hard on the second run, but Pinturault produced another near-flawless run to hold him off.
Completing the podium was another Frenchman, Thomas Fanara, with American specialist Ted Ligety in fourth place.
It was the second World Cup win of the season for Pinturault after the Kitzbuhel super-combined in January and the ninth of his career.
"The second run was tougher because the piste was badly rutted and you had to remain more flexible on your skis," he said.
"But I was still able to generate the speed I needed."
The consolation for Hirscher was that his second place ensured him of winning for the second time the giant slalom crystal globe and it also increased his lead atop the overall rankings.
With just the Meribel meeting to follow next week, the Austrian has a 124 point lead over Norwegian speed specialist Kjetil Jansrud.
Jansrud competed at Kranjska Gora in a bid to garner some extra points but could do no better than 23rd place.
Hirscher could further bolster his position by winning the slalom which is scheduled for Kranjska Gora on Sunday.
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