'It was not easy': Shiffrin storms home to win 95th World Cup race
Jan 21, 2024·Alpine Skiing
Just when Croatian teenager Zrinka Ljutic (CRO) seemed on the verge of her first World Cup victory, Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) righted the ship and claimed her 95th.
The American star barely won the Jasna slalom on Sunday, almost losing her lead before powering home to win by 0.14 seconds and consign rising star Ljutic to runner-up, still her best World Cup finish.
"Today it was definitely a big push to keep all my energy going all the way through the second run," said Shiffrin, whose lead shrunk to 0.02 seconds on the last intermediate split before she skied the fastest final sector of anyone in the field to ensure victory.
"I knew she (Ljutic) put down an amazing run and I had to push," Shiffrin added.
Although Ljutic came up just short, she made a World Cup podium for only the second time. By contrast, Shiffrin became the second Alpine skier to reach 150 World Cup podiums, five short of Ingemar Stenmark's (SWE) record of 155, and she also surpassed Stenmark with her record-setting 82nd slalom podium.
Anna Swenn Larsson (SWE, +0.81s) joined Shiffrin and Ljutic on the podium, skiing the second-fastest second run to move up two spots from fifth and put pressure on the final skiers, while Camille Rast (SUI) was the fastest of all in the second run and missed what would have been her first individual World Cup podium by just 0.09 seconds.
"It was not easy on the second run," conceded Shiffrin, who managed only the seventh-fastest time. "I could hear the crowd going crazy for a couple of athletes and I'm like, 'No, this race is very far away from over and I need to push.'
"I didn't feel perfect but I felt good, so I'm super happy with it."
Earlier, it seemed as though Shiffrin's 58th World Cup slalom victory would be a fait accompli in the absence of injured rival Petra Vlhova (SVK), as the American led the other top seeds by well over a second in the first run until Ljutic skied to within 0.52 seconds of the lead with bib No. 17.
The 19-year-old Croatian then showed maturity beyond her years to ski a fearless second run, taking a big lead over Swenn Larsson and throwing down the gauntlet to Shiffrin.
"I'm really happy that I skied even better in the second run than the first," Ljutic said. "I'm proud of myself for managing this pressure in the second run."
And although Shiffrin ended up denying her on this occasion, Ljutic can now see a path towards her first victory.
"I think I took a glimpse of what it's like to be so close to the win," she said. "It was really tight and it's definitely worth it, it's worth every DNF (four) that I've had this season."
One thing seems certain: Ljutic likely won't have to wait as long for her maiden triumph as Swenn Larsson, who did it at age 31 last season when she claimed her first win in a traditional discipline, sharing victory with Wendy Holdener (SUI) in Killington.
And although the Swede couldn't duplicate the feat on Sunday, she is finally building into the season with three top-five finishes in the last four slalom races, after starting the campaign with a best result of 15th in the first four contests.
"I struggled a lot this season, especially the first races," Swenn Larsson said. "I had some problems with my body and now everything just feels really well — mind and body. I'm feeling really strong again."
As is Shiffrin, who now heads to Cortina d'Ampezzo in the Italian Dolomites for a speed weekend as the season, and her assault on skiing history, marches on.
"It's not really rest, but a different pace, so I'm looking forward to it," she said.
