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FLACHAU, Austria－Not identified for exuberant victory celebrations, Mikaela Shiffrin set free a loud scream this time after crossing the end line.
Shiffrin’s victory in an evening slalom Tuesday was not like most of her earlier 67 World Cup wins.
Within the final slalom earlier than subsequent month’s world championships, Shiffrin ended a year-long victory drought in her strongest self-discipline and earned her a centesimal World Cup podium.
“I felt, like, impressed, I simply felt alive. I used to be pushing. It is laborious to elucidate. I want I might clarify,” stated the American, who was away from the circuit for a lot of 2020 due to the loss of life of her father and a again harm.
Shiffrin is the 2014 Olympic gold medalist and four-time world champion however final triumphed in slalom in December 2019.
On Tuesday, she held on to her opening-run lead and beat Katharina Liensberger by 0.19 seconds following a near-flawless closing run, denying the Austrian her maiden profession win, and the Austrian group a primary slalom win since November 2014.
Liensberger is the one skier to complete within the high three of all 5 slaloms up to now this season.
“A lot power has been increase, all of it, like, went out on that run,” stated Shiffrin. “What can I say? That is cool.”
After dominating the circuit for 3 straight seasons, Shiffrin misplaced her total title to Federica Brignone final yr.
The American has been step by step working her means again after her 10-month break. She received her first race since her return at an enormous slalom in France in December earlier than including the second on Tuesday.
“All the items that go into race day got here collectively tonight. It is superb, however it does not imply it is mounted but,” she stated. “Tonight was actually, actually good.”
The end result made Shiffrin the eighth skier within the 54-year historical past of the World Cup to achieve 100 podium finishes.
On the ladies’s aspect, solely Lindsey Vonn (137), Annemarie Moser-Proell (114), Renate Goetschl (110) and Vreni Schneider (101) have extra top-three finishes than Shiffrin.
“I positively wasn’t fascinated with information at the moment,” the 25-year-old stated. “I simply needed to ski nicely. This slope form of tripped me up the final couple of years and I simply needed to ski, like, I do not know, sturdy and impressed. It is actually, actually enjoyable tonight.”
Wendy Holdener was 0.43 seconds behind in third, extending her report to 25 podiums with out successful a race within the slalom self-discipline.
General World Cup chief Petra Vlhova, who received three of the earlier 4 slaloms this season, positioned fourth.
Michelle Gisin in fifth was 1.52 off the lead. Two weeks in the past, Gisin received in one other Austrian resort, Semmering, to change into the primary skier apart from Shiffrin or Vlhova to win a World Cup slalom in 29 races since January 2017.
Shiffrin additionally led the slalom in Semmering after the primary run earlier than dropping to 3rd.
“While you’re main within the first run, and within the second run, you are standing on the high, the wait is without end,” Shiffrin stated. “In Semmering I felt that, and I used to be like: ‘I am unable to do it.’ Immediately, I felt that, and each second I used to be pondering: ‘Let me go, let me go, let me go!’ Like, I needed to go now. That was very thrilling.”
Shiffrin has completed on the rostrum in Flachau all eight instances she competed within the floodlit race since 2013, together with 4 wins.
She has received a report 44 World Cup slaloms and 68 races total, placing her in outright third place on the all-time winners listing, one forward of Marcel Hirscher.
Solely Ingemar Stenmark (86) and Vonn (82) have extra wins.
Shiffrin led a robust displaying by the US ski group, with Paula Moltzan in ninth incomes her first top-10 lead to slalom.
AJ Harm completed twenty ninth for her profession finest within the self-discipline. Harm had not scored World Cup factors earlier than this season however now has top-30 finishes in 4 completely different occasions.
Camille Rast of Switzerland, a late starter who had not certified for a second run earlier than, was 14th after the opening run and completed the race in sixth.
The ladies’s World Cup continues with two large slaloms in Kranjska Gora this weekend, after the races have been moved from one other Slovenian resort, Maribor, due to an absence of snow.
AP
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