Last season's overall World Cup winner Mikaela Shiffrin finished sixth in the opening FIS Alpine Ski World Cup race of the season in Sölden ©Getty Images

Mikaela Shiffrin, starting an Alpine Skiing World Cup season in which she will seek to equal the record of six overall women’s titles, had to settle for sixth place in the opening giant slalom event at the Austrian resort of Sölden.

Victory in the opening event of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation’s 100th anniversary season went to the Swiss skier who won last season’s downhill World Cup title and finished second behind the American in the overall standings, Lara Gut-Behrami, as reported by VailDaily.

The Olympic super-G gold medallist overcame Federica Brignone’s huge first-run lead to edge past the Italian by just 0.02sec.

The 32-year-old Swiss star finished with a combined time of 2min 18.94sec on the 370-metre Rettenbach slope to claim her 38th career World Cup win.

Switzerland's Lara Gut-Behrami earned a dazzling win in the opening FIS Alpine Ski World Cup race of the season at Sölden ©Getty Images
Switzerland's Lara Gut-Behrami earned a dazzling win in the opening FIS Alpine Ski World Cup race of the season at Sölden ©Getty Images

Slovakia’s Beijing 2022 Olympic slalom champion Petra Vlhová, who was overall World Cup champion in 2021 and finished third in 2022 on 1,125, started a new campaign with third in Solden in 2:19.08 while Shiffrin clocked a final total of 2:20.34.

"It was a little bit messy in some spots," said Shiffrin, who won the overall title last season after taking her World Cup total of victories to a record 88, two more than the long-term mark established by Sweden’s Ingemar Stenmark.

"I was just not able to execute perfectly.

"Having said that, the top women today, they skied just unbelievable.

"I think there is a lot for everybody to learn from them, and Lara especially…that was really pretty sweet to watch."

Tomorrow the men’s overall champion of last season, Marco Odermatt, will seek to complete a Swiss double at the venue as the men’s giant slalom takes place.