France’s Bouvier Wins Cup Slalom in Utah After Protest Is Overruled

Nathalie Bouvier of France won a World Cup women’s giant slalom Friday after a jury overruled a protest that claimed she had missed a gate on her first run.

The jury talked with the gatekeeper and reviewed the videotape, then declared Bouvier the leader over Diann Roffe of the United States with a time of 1 minutes 8.37 seconds.

Roffe, 22, giant slalom gold medalist in the 1985 World Championships, finished her first run on the artificial surface in 1:09.06 as light snow fell.

In the second run, Bouvier was timed in 1:07.60 for a total of 2:15.97. Roffe’s 1:08.14 gave her a total of 2:17.20, placing her ahead of Austria’s Anita Wachter, who was third in 2:17.51.

“I’ve worked hard and I’m a year older,” Roffe said. “I feel I’m finally ready to be a force.”

Wachter moved into second place in the World Cup overall standings with 40 points, one behind West German Michaela Gerg, who finished sixth Friday.

Switzerland’s Vreni Schneider, coming off the best season in the history of the sport, fell on her first run but said she will be ready for today’s slalom.

“Tomorrow is another day and I hope to do better,” she said. “It is just one race. The snow was no problem. I had trouble with my inside ski.”

The race, held on Willy’s Run, was the second in the four-day World Cup event for about 130 skiers from 18 countries.