Alpine skier Iason Abramashvili wins gold in FIS race

Georgian skier Iason Abramashvili finished first among nearly 40 international athletes in an International Ski Federation (FIS) race in Turkey's top winter resort on Monday.

Abramashvili won first place in two men's slalom races at Erzurum-Palandoken resort at the December 18 and 19 competition.

The Georgian skier finished ahead of local favourite Serdar Deniz on both days of racing.

Results of the December 18 race were eligible for FIS points, which meant Abramashvili collected 55 points for his win. In the December 19 slalom the Georgian skier finished nearly six seconds ahead of second-placed Deniz.

The slalom race featured 37 athletes for each of the two days of competition, including three from Georgia.

Lasha Kurtanidze finished 18th on Sunday, improving to 6th on December 19.

The third member of the Georgian ski team, Giorgi Kurtanidze, finished 15th in the first race but did not finish his first run on the second day.

The slalom course started at an altitude of 2,352 metres above sea level and finished at 2,172 metres.

For Abramashvili, the Erzurum-Palandoken resort has been a fruitful course; there the Georgian skier claimed three victories in another race earlier this year.

Abramashvili's all-time FIS results and statistics can be viewed on the official Federation website here.