Shiffrin battles snow and stiff competition for Courchevel GS win

Mikaela Shiffrin battled through a raging snowstorm on the second run and overcame a 0.08-second deficit to win her 49th career Audi FIS Ski World Cup race on Friday in Courchevel (FRA). It was also her third consecutive victory at the French resort with the slalom race yet to come on Saturday. She credited a short rest period as one of the keys to her success, as she made the strategic decision to skip the speed races rescheduled in Val Gardena Gröden (ITA) earlier in the week.

Viktoria Rebensburg of Germany led after the first run and gave Shiffrin tight competition, finishing in second place just 0.14 seconds back for her second podium finish of the season. Tessa Worley, meanwhile, delighted the French fans simply by starting in the race after suffering a meniscus tear in her knee during a crash in the Lake Louise super-G. After being cleared by her doctor to return to skiing this week, she made the decision to start her home race and was rewarded with third place for her impressive efforts.

Shiffrin holds a commanding lead in the Overall standings and sits second in the giant slalom standings, 20 points shy of Federica Brignone who finished Friday's race in fourth.

The ladies face their final event prior to Christmas on Saturday with a slalom at Courchevel beginning at 10:30 CET.

Complete results from today's race are available here.