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FLACHAU, Austria — Not recognized for exuberant victory celebrations, Mikaela Shiffrin let loose 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 one hundredth World Cup podium.
“I felt, like, impressed, I simply felt alive. I used to be pushing. It’s exhausting to clarify. I want I may clarify,” mentioned the American, who was away from the circuit for a lot of 2020 due to the demise of her father and a again damage.
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 ultimate run, denying the Austrian her maiden profession win, and the Austrian staff a primary slalom win since November 2014.
Liensberger is the one skier to complete within the prime three of all 5 slaloms up to now this season.
“A lot vitality has been increase, all of it, like, went out on that run,” mentioned Shiffrin. “What can I say? That is cool.”
After dominating the circuit for 3 straight seasons, Shiffrin misplaced her general title to Federica Brignone final 12 months.
The American has been step by step working her approach 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’s wonderful, nevertheless it doesn’t imply it’s fastened but,” she mentioned. “Tonight was actually, actually good.”
The consequence made Shiffrin the eighth skier within the 54-year-long 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 undoubtedly wasn’t interested by information right this moment,” the American mentioned. “I simply needed to ski properly. This slope type 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 behind in third, extending her file to 25 podiums with out profitable a race within the slalom self-discipline.
Total 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 grow to be the primary skier different the 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’re standing on the prime, the wait is endlessly,” the American mentioned. “In Semmering I felt that, and I used to be like: ‘I can’t do it.’ In the present day, 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 right here all eight instances she competed within the floodlit race since 2013, together with 4 wins.
She has received a file 44 World Cup slaloms and 68 races general, placing her in outright third place on the all-time winners record, one forward of Marcel Hirscher.
Solely Ingemar Stenmark (86) and Vonn (82) have extra wins.
Shiffrin led a powerful exhibiting by the U.S. ski staff, with Paula Moltzan in ninth incomes her first top-10 end in slalom.
A.J. Harm completed twenty ninth for her profession greatest within the self-discipline. Harm had not scored World Cup factors earlier than this season however now has top-30 finishes in 4 totally different occasions.
Camille Rast of Switzerland, a late starter with bib No. 57 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 big slaloms in Kranjska Gora this weekend, after the races have been moved from one other Slovenian resort, Maribor, due to a scarcity of snow.
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