Alpine skiing-Home win for Pinturault in Val d'Isere

VAL D'ISERE, France: Frenchman Alexis Pinturault began to fulfil his potential when the exciting young alpine skiing all-rounder won a men's World Cup slalom in Val d'Isere on Saturday.

The 21-year-old had claimed his first World Cup win in a city event in Moscow last winter but it could not compare with beating the world's best at home on the steep Face de Bellevarde slope used for the 1992 Olympics.

In a combined time of one minute and 36.55 seconds, Pinturault left Germany's Felix Neureuther 0.50 seconds adrift with Austria's overall World Cup champion Marcel Hirscher was third, a further 0.07 behind.

Pinturault is one of the most promising talents produced by French skiing in recent years, having earned podium places in four alpine disciplines since his World cup start two seasons ago.

He made it clear that his long-term ambition was to win the overall World Cup big globe.

"I'm not going to lie about it. The World Cup is my ambition and I want to get there. But I'm taking my time, and going each step at a time," he said.

His show of strength was all the more impressive as the Frenchman injured his ankle playing tennis in the summer and could not train for three months.

"This does not have the same flavour as Moscow. The conditions were difficult for me because of my ankle. I was short on training and I managed to win at home in France.

"It's a special one, obviously," said Pinturault.(Reuters)