# Federica Brignone Leads the Way at Women’s Combined Event on Opening Day of World Championships
The world of skiing is abuzz with excitement as the 2021 World Championships kicked off in Meribel, France. On the opening day of the event, Italian skier Federica Brignone posted the fastest time in the super-G portion of the women’s combined event, leading defending champion Mikaela Shiffrin by almost a second.
This is an exciting start to the World Championships, and it’s sure to get even more thrilling as the competition continues. Read on to find out more about the opening day results and the challenges that lay ahead for the women’s combined event.
## Brignone Finds the Fastest Line on the Course
Racing under blue skies, Brignone found the fastest line on the Roc de Fer course as she built a lead of 0.71 seconds over Lara Gut-Behrami of Switzerland and Ragnhild Mowinckel of Norway, who clocked the same time. Italian teammate Elena Curtoni was 0.78 seconds behind in fourth.
The combined event adds the results of a super-G run and one slalom run, making it a true test of skiing prowess. Eight speed specialists used their run as practice for the super-G race Wednesday and will not start in the slalom portion.
## Shiffrin Posts Sixth Fastest Time
Defending champion Mikaela Shiffrin posted the sixth fastest time and had 0.96 seconds to make up on Brignone in the slalom, the American’s strongest discipline.
Shiffrin is competing in her first major event since failing to win a medal in six starts at last year’s Beijing Olympics. She is confident in her slalom skills, but knows that she needs to have a solid run in both events to secure a medal.
## Other Notable Results
Olympic downhill champion Sofia Goggia and two-time downhill world champion Ilka Stuhec also skipped the second leg of the combined event. American teammate Breezy Johnson came off the race line and crashed through a gate halfway through her run but said said was unhurt.
Petra Vlhova, the silver medalist from 2019 and 2021, sat out the race to focus on her core events of giant slalom and slalom. The 2021 overall World Cup champion from Slovakia has struggled with health issues in recent weeks.
## Final Thoughts
The women’s combined event at the World Championships is sure to be an exciting competition. With Brignone leading the way and Shiffrin close behind, it’s sure to be a thrilling race to the finish. Stay tuned for more updates as the competition continues!
Source: abcnews.go.com