Norway's Windingstad Storms To First Win In Alta Badia Parallel Slalom

Norway's Rasmus Windingstad stormed to his first World Cup win as the favourites trailed in the parallel giant slalom night race at Alta Badia in northern Italy on Monday.

Windingstad finished 0.41sec ahead of Germany's Stefan Luitz under floodlights in the Dolomites.

The 26-year-old had trailed Luitz at the gate but blitzed down the hill to deny the German a second World Cup win after the giant slalom in Beaver Creek last season.

Austria's Roland Leitinger took his first podium finish in third, ahead of Norway's Leif Kristian Nestvold-Haugen, in the head-to-head duel on runs that are side by side.

Windingstad's only previous podium finish was second place in the giant slalom at Kranjska Gora in Slovenia last March.

Reigning world champion Henrik Kristoffersen of Norway, winner of Sunday's giant slalom, finished seventh, with France's Alexis Pinturault a disappointing 25th.

Pinturault complained of picking up an adductor injury in a race he likened to "a lottery".

In the final standings, three quarters of the skiers on the "red" run had the edge over their rivals on the parallel "blue" run.

"I didn't have good races but the conditions were far from easy," continued the three-time Olympic medallist.

"There were several injuries because the track was not ready at all.

"This parallel format does not delight many people.

"It's a lottery! Just look at the podiums, the regular athletes usually in the first places are not there."

The 25-year-old Kristoffersen holds the overall World Cup lead 67 points ahead of Austria's Vincent Kreichmayr, with Pinturault third 77 points behind the Norwegian.

Pintuarault said he would have to decide whether he is fit for the World Cup combined in Bormio next weekend, an event in which he is the reigning world champion.

"It's difficult to say, it could be a strain but we hope that it is not more serious like a tear," he said.

"I'll see in the next few days how the pain develops, then we will decide whether or not to do an ultrasound.

"But I don't want to be too alarmist."

The World Cup continues with two downhills in Bormio, in the Italian Alps, including the cancelled race from Val Gardena, on Friday and Saturday, as well as Sunday's combined.