Shiffrin Gets Two In A Row -- Ties Records And Moves Up All Time Win List
After taking a break after a rough time in Courchevel just weeks ago, Mikaela Shiffrin returned to Lienz, Austria where she took her first podium exactly eight years ago - December 29, 2011 - and kicked ass!
A Giant Slalom Win By Almost One And Half Seconds
The American phenom went into the fourth Giant Slalom of the season with a fire that is very typical of the young woman. Blasting down the course, she was able to finish 1.36 seconds ahead of Italian Marta Bassino, who has some GS success this season as well, having won the GS race at Killington this past November.
Coming in third place was a home country racer, Katharina Liensberger. The Austrian skier finished 1.82 off of Shiffrin, but that was good enough to secure her very first Giant Slalom podium finish.
A Tied Record And A Step Up The All-Time Win List
Having dominated the GS on Saturday, Shiffrin continued to wreak havoc on her competition by taking another victory in Slalom on Sunday, exactly eight years to the day of her very first podium finish, which was also at this venue at Lienz, Austria.
Going into any women's Slalom race for a long time now, as long as Shiffrin and her rival, Slovak racer Petra Vlhova, are in the race, that's the one/two finish, just about guaranteed. That is also exactly how this race worked out.
Finishing first was the American Slalom specialist. Though Vlhova was lead coming down to the end, Shiffrin was able to push for a 0.61 of a second win, which would be her 14th successive Slalom podium and 64th career victory overall.
Stepping into the third-place spot on the podium was another first-time appearance. Swiss skier Michele Gisin was able to secure her first Slalom podium.
It should also be noted that fourth-place went to Katharina Liensberger, who took her first podium in GS the day before, having finished third.
With this win, Mikaela Shiffrin has now extended her points lead in the overall standings to 295 points ahead of Italian racer Federica Brignone. She also sits 140 points ahead of Petra Vlhova on the Slalom standings. Also, she has tied Lindsey Vonn for the second-most career wins in a single discipline at 43 Slalom wins to Vonn's 43 Downhill wins. Ingemar Stenmark is the only skier to have more wins in a single discipline, with 46 in GS.
This past weekend also puts Shiffrin in the number two spot for total victories by a woman, with Vonn sitting in first with 82 total career victories. However, with men and women combines, Shiffrin is in 4th place, just three wins behind recently retired Austrian superstar Marcel Hirscher. Ingemar Stenmark also holds the most career wins record at 86 total.
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