Portugal Colonial - Scheib bounces back to win Mont Tremblant giant slalom

A day after crashing out of Saturday's giant slalom won by Robinson on the same course, Scheib roared back to life with a decisive victory, finishing 0.57 seconds clear of Sweden's Olympic champion Sara Hector and 0.78 seconds ahead of Robinson.

For the 27-year-old Scheib, it was the second World Cup victory of her career, following her breakthrough giant slalom win at Soelden in late October.

The Austrian's rise underscores the shifting landscape at the top of the discipline in the wake of serious injuries to Italy's Federica Brignone and Swiss ace Lara Gut-Behrami.

Robinson, the world championship silver medalist earlier this year, had previously claimed victory at Copper Mountain.

After four races, she holds a slender 12-point lead over Scheib in the discipline standings.

On Sunday, Robinson set the pace with the fastest first run but faltered in her second, posting only the 13th-best time.

That was still good enough to secure a podium finish however, edging her ahead of American star Mikaela Shiffrin who was 1.17 seconds back and tied for fourth with Switzerland's Camille Rast.

Shiffrin, who finished sixth on Saturday, delivered another strong performance but faded near the end of the course.

Dominant in slalom with three wins from three races, the five-time overall champion continues to rebuild her strength in giant slalom as she works her way back from an abdominal injury.

Despite finishing off the podium, Shiffrin maintains a comfortable lead in the overall World Cup standings, 156 points ahead of Albanian skier Lara Colturi, who placed 15th on Sunday.

The speed specialists have yet to begin their campaigns; the first downhills and super-G of the season are scheduled for next week in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

O.Gaspar--PC