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ÅRE, Sweden — Katharina Liensberger ended Austria’s six-year look ahead to a girls’s World Cup slalom victory on Saturday.
Within the final race earlier than the World Cup Finals, Liensberger overtook first-run chief Mikaela Shiffrin with a free-flowing last run, beating the American by 0.72 seconds.
“I felt like flying, it was a flight from high to backside,” Liensberger mentioned. “I simply gave all of it. That is actually wonderful. If there’s one thing you like and you set all of your power in it, you’ll be able to actually obtain it.”
Shiffrin, who turned 26 on Saturday, was chasing her seventieth profession win. She led Liensberger by 0.19 after the opening run, however had misplaced her benefit by the second cut up of her last run.
“I knew Liensberger can be pushing very laborious,” Shiffrin mentioned. “I attempted to push and sort of sustain with the tempo, so I can take some good issues from it.”
Self-discipline chief Petra Vlhova, who received Friday’s floodlit slalom on the identical course, completed solely in eighth following an enormous mistake within the Slovakian’s opening run.
The outcome re-opened the struggle for the season-long slalom title, as Vlhova had her lead over Liensberger lowered to 22 factors, with Shiffrin 37 behind in third. A race win is value 100 factors.
The final race is subsequent Saturday in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.
“The one factor you’ll be able to actually count on is that it is going to be an thrilling present,” mentioned Shiffrin, who completed third in Friday’s slalom after she simply averted snowboarding out following a mistake.
“Kathi and Petra are each very robust,” the American mentioned. “I’m not completely out of the struggle, which is, after yesterday, a bit little bit of a shock.”
Vlhova received the title final season, dethroning six-time winner Shiffrin because the American was taking a break from racing following the dying of her father.
On Saturday, Vlhova completed the primary run 2.95 seconds behind in twenty seventh place, with solely the highest 30 being allowed to start out within the second run.
Vlhova misplaced her steadiness after the fifth gate and wanted an acrobatic restoration together with her left leg up within the air to appropriately go the following gate. She was already 1.97 seconds behind Shiffrin on the first cut up.
Realistically out of rivalry for the race win, Vlhova nonetheless posted the quickest time within the last run and climbed 19 locations.
“I used to be pondering: ‘OK, nothing to lose, I take loads of factors or I take zero factors.’ So I took loads of dangers,” Vlhova mentioned.
No Austrian girl had received a World Cup slalom since former general champion Nicole Hosp triumphed in Aspen, Colorado, in November 2014.
Nonetheless, Liensberger did win gold in slalom on the world championships three weeks in the past.
“It is actually unbelievable for me, however I do know what I did for it,” mentioned Liensberger, who missed a slalom podium solely as soon as this season.
“I simply did my job at the moment and it was ok. To win my first World Cup race right here in Åre is great.”
Liensberger’s successful run Saturday resembled the best way she beat Shiffrin and Vlhova in each legs for her dominating victory on the worlds.
Liensberger’s win additionally marked the primary victory for Austria in any girls’s World Cup race this season. The staff by no means had a full season and not using a victory within the World Cup, which began in 1967.
Swiss skier Wendy Holdener completed Saturday’s race 1.65 behind in third, and Shiffrin’s teammate Paula Moltzan completed fifth for her career-best end in slalom.
One other Swiss skier, Mélanie Meillard, examined optimistic for COVID-19 after competing in Friday’s race and was quarantining.
Her teammates have been cleared to start out Saturday after their assessments within the early morning hours got here again unfavourable.
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