AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati

JASNA, Slovakia (AP) — Eva-Maria Brem looks set for the next step toward her first crystal globe, building a commanding lead in the opening run of a women’s World Cup giant slalom on Monday.

In light snowfall, the Austrian finished 0.77 seconds ahead of Swiss skier Lara Gut, while the rest of the field was more than a second off the pace.

Federica Brignone of Italy, who won the season-opening GS in October, was 1.11 behind in third with Nina Loeseth of Norway another 0.44 further back in fourth.

Winning the race would give Brem a chance to lock up the GS title with a race to spare. She leads Viktoria Rebensburg of Germany by 32 points, and Gut by 80. Rebensburg, the 2010 Olympic champion, was 1.96 behind in 12th after the opening leg.

“The first run was very good. I tried to stay completely focused and do exactly what I had to do,” said Brem, who recovered quickly from losing direction at the third gate. “For me it’s cool that the lead is so big. But a lot can still happen.”

Austrian teammate Anna Fenninger won the GS title the past two seasons. The two-time overall champion is sitting out this season following knee surgery in October.

Brem’s closest challenger for the title struggled all the way down on the Lukova course.

“I didn’t find my rhythm from the start,” Rebensburg said. “For me the World Cup (title) plays no role. I just wanted to ski well, but I didn’t manage to do that.”

In the overall standings, Gut will overtake leader Lindsey Vonn if she finishes ninth or better. The four-time champion from the United States ended her season last week because of a left knee injury.

With Rebensburg 293 points back in third, Gut would all but secure her first overall title by overtaking Vonn.

Mikaela Shiffrin, who won the slalom in Jasna on Sunday, was 1.91 behind in 11th in the American’s first GS since returning from a knee injury last month.

The race was briefly interrupted after Michaela Kirchgasser crashed into the safety netting. The Austrian said her left knee hurt, and that she planned to travel home for a medical check.

The GS was initially planned for Saturday but had to be rescheduled because of strong wind.