Soelden, Austria - Austria's Kathrin Zettel claimed victory in the opening Alpine skiing World Cup race of the season Saturday, a women's giant slalom in Soelden.

Local hero Zettel recorded times of 1 minute 9.98 seconds and 1:13.01 for her two runs to claim victory in a combined time of 2:22.99 minutes.

Finland's Tanja Poutiainen finished in second place, nearly a second behind the winner with a time of 2:23.97 minutes followed by Austrian Andrea Fischbacher. (dpa)