Slovakian skier Petra Vlhova dominated the primary ladies’s World Cup slalom of the season Saturday by clearly profitable each runs in Levi, Finland, with Mikaela Shiffrin ending in fourth.
The American, who raced with a bruised left knee following a coaching crash final week, trailed Vlhova by 0.42 seconds after the opening run however in the end completed 1.70 behind.
Lena Duerr of Germany was 1.41 behind in second and former slalom world champion Katharina Liensberger positioned third for the Austrian’s first podium end in 15 slaloms since January 2022.
Vlhova, who’s the Olympic champion within the self-discipline, turned the sixth skier in ladies’s World Cup historical past to win 20 profession World Cup slaloms.
What a run by Petra Vlhova! 🌟<br><br>The Queen of Levi claims her sixth reindeer, dominating with the very best occasions in each the primary and second runs!<br><br>Really a champion’s efficiency! 🇸🇰<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/fisalpine?src=hash&ref_src=twsrcpercent5Etfw”>#fisalpine</a> <a href=”https://t.co/tR5spVUhKV”>pic.twitter.com/tR5spVUhKV</a>
—@fisalpine
Shiffrin stated the coaching accident didn’t have an effect on her within the race.
In an Instagram publish the day earlier than the race, Shiffrin stated she felt “fairly good now” after “she took a good quantity of impression by my left knee” when she straddled a gate and crashed throughout slalom coaching.
“I am fortunate [and so very grateful] to have come away with a bone bruise however no different main injury,” stated Shiffrin, who gained each slaloms right here final 12 months on her option to profitable the self-discipline title for the seventh time.
No skier aside from the American or Vlhova has gained the normal season-opening slalom in Finnish Lapland since then-overall champion Tina Maze of Slovenia triumphed in 2014.
“Actually, I did not anticipate such a spot between me and Lena and Katharina. However I really feel good. I am having fun with snowboarding and I really feel confidence,” stated Vlhova, now atop the general standings having began the season by ending third in a large slalom in Austria two weeks in the past in a race the place Shiffrin positioned sixth.
Laurence St-Germain, who beat Shiffrin to the slalom world title final February, trailed by 3.57 seconds within the first run and the Canadian skier didn’t qualify for the second run.
Amelia Good was the lone Canadian participant, ending twenty seventh.
One other slalom on the identical hill is scheduled for Sunday.
1st males’s World Cup downhill cancelled
The inaugural World Cup downhill on the storied Matterhorn mountain should wait at the very least another day after a race Saturday was cancelled due to heavy snowfall and powerful winds.
Race organizers known as off plans for the lads’s downhill quickly after 6 a.m. native time on the new Gran Becca course that begins in Switzerland and finishes in Italy.
One other males’s downhill is scheduled Sunday on the high-altitude course that has but to see a race due to climate points, though a follow run was accomplished Wednesday underneath clear blue skies.
Pure snow has fallen in abundance since organizers final month provoked criticism from environmental activists and an investigation by native public authorities for excavating snow at a close-by glacier to assist put together the course.
The three.8-kilometre Gran Becca was designed by Swiss former racer Didier Defago, the Olympic downhill champion on the 2010 Vancouver Winter Video games.
It begins close to Zermatt at an altitude of about 3,700 metres and crosses the border to complete in Italy at Laghi Cime Bianche at 2,835 meters.
The Worldwide Ski and Snowboard Federation hopes the races can enhance Alpine ski racing and tourism earlier within the winter and lengthen the season.
