St-Germain does the ‘impossible’ and snatches slalom gold ahead of Shiffrin

Laurence St-Germain, a 28-year-old Canadian who had never finished higher than sixth in a major slalom race, pushed herself to the very limit to shock the world’s best and grab World Championship gold in Courchevel Meribel.

The performance of a lifetime was enough to push the four-time champion, and first run leader Mikaela Shiffrin into silver medal position, with Lena Duerr taking bronze, a first major medal for the German.

Racing in bib No.18, St-Germain had already produced a brilliantly dynamic first run to stand third, behind Shiffrin and Swiss slalom star Wendy Holdener. But facing a direct course set, with a key transition from the steep pitch to the flat, the Canadian went full gas from the gate second time round.

“I just wanted to really attack,” said St-Germain, who is Canada’s first female slalom world champion since Anne Heggtveit took gold in 1960 in Squaw Valley, when the Olympic Games doubled up as the world championships.

“I had a bit of mistake (at the top) but kept just thinking go down, go down, go down. And it worked out,” St-Germain continued.

A member of the Canadian skier’s backroom staff had a dream several days ago that St-Germain won silver. But St-Germain’s combined time of 1:43.15 gave her gold by more than half-a-second to continue Canada’s dream World Championships.

Even if their newest champion could hardly believe what she had done.

“I saw 1 (on the scoreboard in the finish area) and I (thought) that can’t happen. I was like ‘God, it’s impossible’,” St-Germain laughed.

“I knew I was skiing fast in training and I knew if I stuck to my plan then I could do good things. But winning was not expected at all, like ever.”

She joins James Crawford (men’s super-G champion), Cameron Alexander (men’s downhill bronze medallist) and the Mixed Team Parallel quartet (bronze medallists) as Canada’s newest superstars.

The skier St-Germain relegated to second – a place she is not used to – was blown away by the Canadian’s efforts.

“I’m very excited to watch it (St-Germain’s second run), she and the Canadian team deserve to be celebrated today,” said Shiffrin.

Her silver took her to a total of 14 world championship medals, just one behind all-time leader Christel Cranz. It completed a Championships that has seen the American claim a gold and two silvers, taking her record to 17 starts: seven golds, four silvers and three bronze medals.

But it has not all been plain sailing for the 27-year-old.

“For me, the last two weeks it’s been ups and downs and everything in-between,” said Shiffrin who lost out on several expected gold medals and saw her long-time coach Mike Day leave during the Championships.

“It’s been a complete World Championship and I can’t really explain the emotion to finish it with another medal. I had never dreamed that it would have so many different emotions and disappointment and excitement and stress and some just incredible moments. I am actually grateful for it all.”

Bronze medallist Duerr was simply grateful that this time she ended up the right side of the clock.

“It’s always sad when someone skis out and you are advancing from this,” explained Duerr after seeing Holdener lose out on what looked like a certain medal with a surprise error three-quarters of the way down her second run.

“But in skiing you always get those hundredths (of a second) back and last year at the Olympics I was fourth by a few hundredths so maybe this is the day I get my hundredths back.”

This time it was Norwegian Mina Fuerst Holtmann who missed out by 0.02 seconds, with reigning Olympic slalom champion Petra Vlhova finishing fifth, after struggling to find her best.

This magical World Championships, stuffed full of surprises and record-setting performances, not to mention sunshine, concludes on Sunday with the men’s slalom.