Fight for women’s overall World Cup title is wide open (The Associated Press)
With two-time defending champion Anna Fenninger out injured and 2013 winner Tina Maze taking a break from ski racing, the fight for this season’s women’s overall World Cup title seems wide open. Add the retirement of Austrian duo Nicole Hosp and Kathrin Zettel, and only three of last year’s top-seven skiers are in the start gate when the new season gets underway with a giant slalom on the Rettenbach glacier on Saturday. It could open up the way for a first-time champion, with Mikaela Shiffrin, Lara Gut and Viktoria Rebensburg widely regarded as main contenders.