SOLDEN, Austria (AFP) - Sweden's World Cup holder Anja Paerson opened the women's 2004/2005 season with a clear statement of intent by winning the giant slalom.
The 23-year-old Paerson clocked 2min 25.21sec for the two legs, to finish 0.32sec ahead of Finland's Tanja Poutiainen and 1.57sec in front of Spain's Maria Jose Rienda-Contreras.
It was her 23rd World Cup victory, 10th in giant slalom, and her first on the demanding, 3000m-high Rettenbach piste.
She said afterwards: "The first run was easy but for the second, I knew Tanja (Poutiainen) had managed a great time and I had to give my all."
And she said she would be competing in all events this year. "This season, I will be competing in all the disciplines," Paerson added. "At the world championships in Bormio, I will enter all five events with a view to my preparations for the 2006 Olympics."
Paerson became the top women skier last year when, apart from the overall World Cup victory, she also won the World Cups for the slalom and the giant slalom.
Poutiainen said she was also happy with the way the season had started for her.
"I hope that my win in the Levi slalom at the end of last year is going to give me a big boost and really get my career going again," she said.
And there was good news also for triple Olympic champion Jelena Kostelic of Croatia who missed all of last season with knee injuries and thyroid problems.
The 22-year-old who dominated women's skiing prior to Paerson's ascendency placed eighth and there were words of encouragement from the Swede.
"Our rivalry will be good for our sport and make it more exciting to watch," she said.
The men open their season with a giant slalom here on Sunday but then the World Cup circuit goes into cold storage for a month before reappearing at Lake Louise, Canada at the end of November.
10/23/2004 - 15:32 GMT - AFP