By Associated Press - Friday, February 15, 2019

ARE, Sweden (AP) - The Latest on the skiing world championships (all times local):

3:15 p.m.

Fresh off winning the Alpine combined, French skier Alexis Pinturault took a 0.10-second lead over Marcel Hirscher after the first run in the giant slalom at the world championships.

Hirscher, the defending world and Olympic giant slalom champion from Austria, was in an ideal attacking position going into the second run after shrugging off flu-like symptoms to ski.

Henrik Kristoffersen of Norway was in third place, 0.18 seconds off the lead. The only other skier within a half-second of Pinturault was Thomas Fanara of France, who was 0.42 behind.

Leif Kristian Nestvold-Haugen led by 0.07 after the first checkpoint, but slipped at a turn moments later and wound up in eighth place.

Results weren’t official as there were lower-ranked skiers yet to finish.

Pinturault won the combined on Monday for his first individual gold medal at a worlds or Olympics.

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2 p.m.

After rain and strong gusts for the past two days, a blue sky and calmer conditions will greet the skiers in the giant slalom.

For only the second time in an individual event at these world championships, the course has not been shortened and the ski racers will set out from the original start.

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1:40 p.m.

Marcel Hirscher looks to have shrugged off illness and is slated to compete in the giant slalom at the world championships.

The seven-time overall World Cup champion from Austria will be the fifth skier on the course in the first leg.

Hirscher has been dealing with flu-like symptoms that forced him to cancel a news conference on Wednesday. On Thursday, he hit the slopes for a few practice runs but also spent time in bed, saying he had a “sore throat and a runny nose.”

Hirscher is the reigning world and Olympic champion at giant slalom. He is also scheduled to compete in the slalom on Sunday.

The first run begins at 2:15 p.m. local time (1315 GMT). The second run starts at 5:45 p.m. local time (1645 GMT).

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