Loic Meillard leads Swiss podium sweep at World Cup giant slalom in Val d'Isere

VAL D'ISERE, France (AP) — Swiss skiers Loic Meillard, Luca Aerni and Marco Odermatt swept the podium places in a World Cup giant slalom on Saturday.

Meillard moved up from fifth after the opening run to win by 0.18 seconds ahead of Aerni and 0.33 ahead of Odermatt, the overall World Cup leader.

Timon Haugan finished fourth and first-run leader Stefan Brennsteiner ended up fifth as the racers struggled to find the racing line when the steep Bellevarde course was mostly covered by shade.

It was Meillard’s eighth World Cup victory and first since winning the giant slalom at last season’s finals in Sun Valley, Idaho.

The Swiss team, which also dominated at last season’s world championships, is shaping up as the squad to beat in men’s skiing at the upcoming Milan Cortina Olympics.

American racer River Radamus had the fastest second run and finished sixth after placing 21st in the morning run. In a solid day for the U.S. Ski Team, Ryder Sarchett placed a career-best 10th.

A slalom race is scheduled for the Bellevarde on Sunday.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Switzerland's Loic Meillard, right, winner of an alpine ski, men's World Cup giant slalom event, celebrates with fellow-countrymen second placed Luca Aerni and third placed Marco Odermatt, center, in Val d'Isere, France, Saturday Dec. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

Switzerland's Loic Meillard speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men¥s World Cup giant slalom event, in Val d¥Isere, France, Saturday Dec. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

Switzerland's Loic Meillard speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup giant slalom event, in Val d'Isere, France, Saturday Dec. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Pier Marco Tacca)

Switzerland's Loic Meillard reacts after completing an alpine ski, men's World Cup giant slalom event, in Val d'Isere, France, Saturday Dec. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

Switzerland's Loic Meillard, right, winner of an alpine ski, men's World Cup giant slalom event, poses with fellow-countrymen second placed Luca Aerni, second from right, and third placed Marco Odermatt, in Val d'Isere, France, Saturday Dec. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

Switzerland's Marco Odermatt speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup giant slalom event, in Val d'Isere, France, Saturday Dec. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Pier Marco Tacca)

Switzerland's Marco Odermatt speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup giant slalom event, in Val d'Isere, France, Saturday Dec. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

Norway's Timon Haugan speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup giant slalom event, in Val d'Isere, France, Saturday Dec. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Pier Marco Tacca)

Norway's Henrik Kristoffersen speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup giant slalom event, in Val d'Isere, France, Saturday Dec. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Pier Marco Tacca)

Austria's Stefan Brennsteiner speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup giant slalom event, in Val d'Isere, France, Saturday Dec. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Pier Marco Tacca)

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A judge has ruled an 18-year-old man charged with murder in the killing of a paddleboarder in Maine is competent to stand trial.

The death of Sunshine “Sunny” Stewart, 48, of St. George, last year shocked the community around Crawford Pond in rural Union, Maine. Authorities charged Deven Young of Frankfort, Maine, with murder in Stewart's death in July, about two weeks after Stewart's body was discovered.

The court system has thus far treated Young as a juvenile. Prosecutors in the state want to charge Young, who was 17 at the time of Stewart's death and is 18 now, as an adult. First, he needed to be deemed competent to stand trial, and a judge ruled this week that he is.

"The court finds that the defendant is competent to proceed based on the court’s finding that the juvenile has a rational, as well as a factual, understanding of the proceedings and a sufficient present ability to consult with legal counsel with a reasonable degree of rational understanding," wrote Maine District Court Judge Eric J. Walker on Wednesday.

Young is due back in court on May 7. Police have said a medical examiner determined Stewart's cause of death was strangulation and blunt force trauma.

Jeremy Pratt, an attorney for Young, declined to comment on Thursday. Prosecutors in the case also declined to comment Thursday.

Authorities have not publicly stated a possible motive in the case. Court documents about the case, which were briefly made public before being removed from the state's courts website, contained little detail other than stating that Young “did intentionally or knowingly cause the death of another human being, namely Sunshine Stewart.”

Audio recordings by the Waldo County Sheriff's Office that were obtained by news agencies earlier this year provided details about Young's history of violent behavior and mental health challenges prior to Stewart's death. The Portland Press Herald reported that Young had been waiting for behavioral health services from the state.

Stewart went missing at Crawford Pond, where she was paddleboarding, on July 2 and her body was found the next day. The pond is a popular summertime attraction for swimming, boating and fishing. Stewart lived about 21 miles (34 kilometers) from the pond in the Tenants Harbor neighborhood in St. George.

Stewart's friends and family celebrated her life with a maritime service last August. The memorial included a procession of boats, some decked out with flowers, in Tenants Harbor.

On the boats were pictures of Stewart smiling and a large sign that read, “Shine On.” Over the years, Stewart worked as a fisherman, boat captain, biologist, carpenter and bartender, friends have said.

FILE - Acquaintances of Sunshine Stewart sit on the bow of a lobster boat during a memorial service for the slain paddleboarder, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025, off the coast of St. George, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)