Alpine skiing-Shiffrin with work to do in giant slalom

American favourite Mikaela Shiffrin will require a second-run charge in the giant slalom on Thursday if she is to claim her second gold medal of the Alpine skiing world championships. The Olympic champion in the discipline produced a conservative first run on a course softened by mild weather conditions, finishing fourth quickest, 0.44 seconds behind halfway leader Viktoria Rebensburg of Germany.

Rebensburg, giant slalom gold medallist at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010, will take a 0.19 second lead over Slovakia's Petra Vlhova into the second run later on Thursday. Norway's Ragnhild Mowinckel was third fastest, 0.37 slower than 29-year-old Rebensburg.

"The wind was not ideal," Shiffrin, who won gold in the Super-G to continue a stunning season, said at the finish. "It's always full gas in the second run and I will see where I can maybe take some more risks."

Reigning world champion Tessa Worley of France will need to make up 0.73 seconds, having gone fifth quickest. The top 30 begin their second runs in reverse order at 1645 GMT. (Reporting by Martyn Herman Editing by David Goodman)