U.S.A.'s Mikaela Shiffrin And Norway's Henrick Kristoffersen Win Slalom At Levi
First Win In The Bag, New Records For Shiffrin
To say that Mikaela Shiffrin was the favored to win at Levi this past weekend would be speaking the obvious. The young American slalom specialist was able to take the day in Levi, Finland, not only winning the season opener but setting even more records.
It could be said, however, that fans of Shiffrin were on edge after the first run of the day. The only woman to beat Shiffrin in a slalom race last year, Slovakian skier Petra Vlhova, was sitting in first, just 0.13 second ahead of Shiffrin. Though, due to an early crash during the second run, Vlhova was not able to finish the race, giving Shiffrin a giant lead of nearly two seconds on the second-place finisher.
That second spot on the podium went to Swiss skier Wendy Holdener, who improved her standing by four places, moving from sixth to second, after a solid second run. Third place went to Austrian skier Katharina Truppe. This was the first time Truppe would reach a World Cup podium during her career, and got to do so with two of today's greats.
For Shiffrin, the win would mark her 41st career victory in the slalom, giving her the most slalom wins in history. The record was held by Ingemar Stenmark, who still currently holds the record for most World Cup victories with 86 wins, a record the Shiffrin could very well beat in the coming years. It was the fact that she broke Stenmark's slalom record that she named the customary reindeer, presented to the winner, Ingemar.
This was also Shiffrin's fourth win at Levi, making her the first woman to win achieve such a feat at this venue.
Women's alpine racing continues this weekend at Killington, Vermont, a venue that Shiffrin has said is one of her favorites and a venue at which she has never lost. Will it be a one/two situation for Shiffrin and Vlhova? And who will be standing in the number one position?
Kristoffersen Is The Norwegian Comeback Kid
The snow began to fall, adding to the challenge of the slalom course at Levi, as the men took to the hill that their women counterparts raced the day before. Through the falling snow emerged Norwegian skier Henrick Kristoffersen, taking first place for the first time in a long time.
After the first run, French skier Clement Noel was sitting in first place, with Kristoffersen hanging in the fourth place spot. But, an awesome second run pushed the Norwegian up those three spots to take the top of the podium. Noel was able to take second place, finishing 0.09 behind Kristoffersen. Rounding out the podium was Daniel Yule, who became the first Swiss skier to ever make the podium at Levi.
This win marks the first slalom victory for Henrick Kristoffersen in 22 months, making this a comeback run for the skier from Norway. This also puts him in the lead overall, pushing him 13 points ahead of overall favorite Alexis Pinturault of France.
Thumbnail Credit: FIS Alpine World Cup Tour/FB
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