Marco Odermatt leads World Cup giant slalom after the first run. He seeks 10th win in a row

OLYMPIC VALLEY, Calif. (AP) — Marco Odermatt closed in on what would be a 10th consecutive World Cup giant slalom victory, leading after the first run Saturday at Tahoe Palisades.

Shifting his balance smoothly and effectively under a clear sky, Odermatt finished the first leg in 1 minute, 6.48 seconds. That put the Swiss star 0.15 seconds ahead of Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen, and 0.78 in front of American River Radamus heading into the second run scheduled for later in the day.

Only one other ski racer was within a second of Odermatt, who is the reigning Olympic and world champion in the giant slalom: Croatia’s Filip Zubcic, who was 0.87 off the pace.

Odermatt entered Saturday having won all six GS races this season, adding to the three-event streak with which he closed out last season.

Odermatt has been dominant and entered the weekend leading the World Cup overall standings, along with the giant slalom, super-G and downhill.

___

More AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing