Switzerland’s Lara Gut moves closer to World Cup championship in Alpine skiing

Lara Gut all but secured the overall Alpine skiing World Cup championship after placing third in a combined event Sunday, won by her Switzerland teammate Wendy Holdener.

Gut skied down a foggy super-G course to earn 60 World Cup points and build a lead of 355 over Viktoria Rebensburg of Germany, who did not race Sunday in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.

There are four races left in finals week at St. Moritz — offering 400 points for four wins — but Rebensburg has never raced in World Cup slalom and does not plan to start next weekend.

Gut, who was ninth-fastest in the morning slalom run, gave only a low-key celebration in the finish area after taking the provisional race lead. She punched both fists low at her sides without smiling.

Switzerland has waited 21 years to have the world’s best all-around women’s Alpine skier, since Vreni Schneider’s third career title in 1995. The 24-year-old Gut became favorite two weeks ago, when American Lindsey Vonn’s season was ended by a knee injury. Vonn remains second in the standings ahead of Rebensburg.

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Kjetil Jansrud won a men’s World Cup super-G in Kvitfjell, Norway, while fellow Norwegian Aleksander Aamodt Kilde took the lead in the discipline standings.

With only the season-ending race on Thursday remaining, Kilde has 335 points, followed by Norwegian teammate Aksel Lund Svindal (310), Vincent Kriechmayr of Austria (298), and Jansrud (295). Svindal ended his season after knee surgery in January.

With a win worth 100 points, Andrew Weibrecht of the United States (91 points behind) and Carlo Janka of Switzerland (92) also have a mathematical chance.

“It’s always fun when it’s close until the end,” said Jansrud, who won Sunday’s race by a 0.17-second margin over Kriechmayr.

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Brittany Bowe won her fourth race of the speedskating World Cup finals in Heerenveen, Netherlands, taking the 1,000 meters to underscore her dominance of the event this season.

Bowe won in 1 minute 14.22, beating world champion Jorien ter Mors of the Netherlands. Bowe’s American teammate Heather Richardson-Bergsma was third. Bowe was already assured of winning the season-long World Cup standings before she raced at Thialf oval.

In the season’s final World Cup tournament, Bowe won both 500 meter races and the 1,500 before Sunday’s victory in the 1,000.

Etc.

The whistleblower in the Russian doping scandal has the support of anti-doping leaders in her quest to compete at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics this summer.

Yulia Stepanova and her husband, Vitaly, spoke Sunday to more than 130 anti-doping leaders during a rare public appearance. They detailed their role in uncovering the scandal, and Yulia re-emphasized her desire to compete in the Olympics.

“Our members let her know that whatever we can do to help her achieve that, we think it would be appropriate,” said Joseph de Pencier, chief executive officer of the Institute of National Anti-Doping Organizations.

The Stepanovs spoke via Skype to the gathering of iNADO leaders in Lausanne, Switzerland. The family has been living in hiding since making the allegations that led to last year’s suspension of the Russian track program. Last week, the leader of track’s international federation (IAAF), Sebastian Coe, said Russia still has “significant work” to do to be reinstated in time for Rio.

Stepanova could presumably compete in Rio even if Russia isn’t declared eligible. Recently, the 800-meter runner applied to the IAAF to compete in Rio “in capacity other than as a Russian athlete.” The IAAF is considering the request.

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British rider Geraint Thomas withstood a strong challenge from two-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador on the mountainous seventh and final stage to win the Paris-Nice race for the first time Sunday.

Contador, who has won Paris-Nice twice, was in second place overnight and trailed Thomas by 15 seconds. The veteran Spanish rider attacked repeatedly on the last two climbs only to finish four seconds behind Thomas overall.

Contador crossed the line just behind stage winner Tim Wellens of Belgium, with defending champion Richie Porte of Australia finishing the stage in third place.

Despite finishing the stage in 11th, Thomas had done enough to win the title.