SOELDEN, Austria -- When Lara Gut starts the defense of her overall Alpine World Cup title on Saturday, she will be the first Swiss skier to do so in more than two decades.Not that it puts pressure on her.I dont think I have to defend something, Gut said on Thursday, two days before the season-opening giant slalom on the Rettenbach glacier.The title that I won, is last year. Now we all start at zero points again and its just a matter of winning races again.The previous skier from Switzerland to take the biggest prize in womens skiing was Vreni Schneider in 1995, successfully defending her title from the previous season.Gut downplayed the importance of the first race.My goal is to improve every day, I have to try to be as relaxed as possible, Gut said. There is always a lot of talk ahead of Soelden but this race is also worth just 100 points.She will be the only racer on Saturday who has won an overall title. Anna Veith, Tina Maze and Lindsey Vonn are all absent, for various reasons.Guts predecessor in 2014 and 2015, Veith, needs more time to recover from the knee injury that kept the Austrian away from the slopes last season.Known under her maiden name Fenninger until she got married in April, Veith returned on skis in June but has still been lacking muscle power for the World Cup.I felt that I dont have enough strength to put enough pressure on the skis, said Veith, adding she would spend next month mainly in the gym before returning to skiing in December.The 2013 champion also wont be a threat to Guts ambition as Tina Maze announced her retirement on Thursday. The Slovenian took a break from racing last season and said she will do only one last race -- on home soil in Maribor -- before quitting the sport.So, will Vonn again become Guts main challenger?The American, hunting her fifth overall title but first since 2012, was in a neck-and-neck race with Gut until damaging her left knee in a super-G crash in February, ending her season.Though fit and ready to race, Vonn declined the trip to the Austrian Alps as she planned to concentrate more on speed races and refrain from GS, like she also dropped the slalom from her schedule years ago.Ill be back on skis soon and training here at home, Vonn wrote on Facebook recently. Im disappointed I wont be there (in Soelden) but my goals for this season are focused more on downhill and super-g races.However, Gut might face fierce competition from Vonns American teammate, Mikaela Shiffrin, who agreed.Its the first season that I think its really possible, said Shiffrin, who has dominated slaloms in recent years and vastly improved in GS. Now she will add more speed events, not just super-G but even some downhills.We have to wait to get a good grasp where I stand, Shiffrin said. If I am skiing well in slalom and GS and have some good results in speed, it looks like I am a good contender.Calling it a huge dream, Shiffrin was quick to acknowledge many rivals have the same ambition.I want to keep everything in perspective, she said. There are a lot of girls that have that dream. There are probably 20 racers out there who have the potential to win the overall globe. 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He had a goal and two assists for a career-high three points as Columbus beat the New York Islanders 5-2 to snap a five-game losing streak.Shaun Wane is hoping Wigan Warriors can exact revenge on Brisbane Broncos for their golden point extra-time defeat in last years World Club Challenge Series. The Warriors were beaten 14-12 by the Broncos on home soil last February, with Corey Parker scoring a decisive penalty after the match had ended 12-12 in normal time. Ahead of Saturdays match at the DW Stadium, Wane says he is well aware of the task facing his side and has challenged them to overcome a very strong Brisbane team. For long periods of last years game we dominated and did a good job on Brisbane, the Warriors head coach told Sky Sports News HQ.But I am under no illusions, we need to be better this year, theyve got some good individual athletes and we are looking forward to the game on Saturday. Brisbane will be aiming to replicate their victory at the DW Stadium last year The three teams that have come over from the NRL are all fantastic teams. I am sure Brian [McDermott] and Keiron [Cunningham] at Leeds and St Helens will do a fantastic job on their respective days, but the only thing I am concerned about is Wigan getting the win against a very strong Brisbane team. Theyve got some real good quality, but so have we and we owe them one for last year. They were good last year, but I thought we were good for the win, apart from the decision at the end. The Warriors followed up their opening-day success against Catalans Dragons by claiming victory at Huddersfield Giants last Friday. Brian Carney speaks to Johnathan Thurston and previews this weekends World Club Series matches Despite his sides 100 per cent start to the campaign, Wane admits the players are yet to match his high standards.dddddddddddd I wasnt happy. We have had two wins, but we have not been at our best. Detail in our skill is what we pride ourselves on, but it wasnt to my standard, he added. We will improve, the conditions on Saturday are going to be tough, but they are going to be tough for Brisbane as well. Our skill needs to improve, how we finish our sets and having good field positions in this sort of weather is really important. Those are the things we are trying to work on with the players this week. Wane will also come up against the newly-appointed England head coach Wayne Bennett. New England coach Wayne Bennett will be in the dugout for Brisbane Bennett was confirmed as Steve McNamaras successor on February 2, signing a two-year contract with the Rugby Football League, but he will also continue in his role with Brisbane. When asked whether he felt Bennett would have one eye on Wigans English players, Wane said: I spoke to him yesterday, he is a pretty focused guy. He is one of the best coaches in the world, if not the best and I think he is too professional for that. Hell want Brisbane to come all this way and put on a performance and beat us again. I am looking forward to pitting myself against an outstanding coach. Watch Wigan Warriors v Brisbane Broncos live on Sky Sports 1 HD on Saturday from 7.30pm. Catch the match for £6.99 on NOW TV. No contract. Also See: Thurston rules out Super League move Eden to make Broncos bow Flower signs new Wigan deal Bennett focussed on Broncos Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '