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Katharina Liensberger ended Austria’s six-year look forward to a ladies’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 closing run, beating the American by 0.72 seconds.
“I felt like flying, it was a flight from high to backside,” Liensberger stated. “I simply gave all of it. That’s actually superb. If there’s one thing you’re keen on and you set all of your power in it, you may 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 break up of her final run.
“I knew Liensberger can be pushing very onerous,” Shiffrin stated. “I attempted to push and type 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 consequence re-opened the combat 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 price 100 factors.
The final race is subsequent Saturday in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.
“The one factor you may actually anticipate is that it is going to be an thrilling present,” stated 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 stated. “I’m not completely out of the combat, which is, after yesterday, a bit of 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 stability after the fifth gate and wanted an acrobatic restoration along with her left leg up within the air to appropriately cross the subsequent gate. She was already 1.97 seconds behind Shiffrin on the first break up.
Realistically out of rivalry for the race win, Vlhova nonetheless posted the quickest time within the closing run and climbed 19 locations.
“I used to be considering: OK, nothing to lose, I take numerous factors or I take zero factors. So I took numerous dangers,” Vlhova stated.
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 at the world championships three weeks in the past.
“It’s actually unbelievable for me, however I do know what I did for it,” stated Liensberger, who missed a slalom podium solely as soon as this season.
“I simply did my job right this moment and it was adequate. To win my first World Cup race right here in Åre is fantastic.”
Liensberger’s profitable run Saturday resembled the way in which 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 ladies’s World Cup race this season. The workforce by no means had a full season with no 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 lead to slalom.
One other Swiss skier, Mélanie Meillard, examined constructive for Covid-19 after competing in Friday’s race and was quarantining.
Her teammates have been cleared to start out Saturday after their checks within the early morning hours got here again detrimental.
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