The queen of slalom is back and she let the competition know it in an imperial way. Sunday March 10, Mikaela Shiffrin secured the specialty globe by easily winning the slalom in Are (Sweden), counting for the Alpine Ski World Cup. Thanks to this victory, her first race since her fall in Italy a month and a half ago, the American won her eighth trophy in her favorite discipline after winning six of the nine slaloms in which she took part this winter.
Leading by nothing at the end of the first round, the ski star, now 96 World Cup victories, achieved the best time in the second round and beat Croatian Zrinka Ljutic (1 sec 24) and the Swiss Michelle Gisin (1 sec 34). “It feels so good to be running again today,” responded Shiffrin, moved after her victory. I felt that stress again and all the emotions that go with it. I am very proud of myself and my entire team. »
With 730 points in the World Cup slalom rankings, the American now has more than 200 points ahead of her rivals and is therefore uncatchable whatever happens during the finals in Saalbach (Austria), scheduled from 16 to March 24. In the general classification, the five-time winner of the big globe is still mathematically in the race for a sixth coronation, with 345 points behind Swiss leader Lara Gut-Behrami.
“I wish I could fight for the general.”
But Shiffrin, who had remained away from the slopes for many weeks after falling heavily at the end of January during the descent of Cortina d'Ampezzo in Italy, nevertheless announced on Friday that she was giving up the speed events (downhill and super-G) during the finals and will therefore not be able to catch up with the Swiss in the general classification. “I wish I could fight for the general classification but I have to accept where I am this season and that’s not possible,” said the Colorado skier.
In the general classification, only the Italian Federica Brignone can still go after Lara Gut-Behrami. Impressive during the giant on Saturday in Sweden, “Fede” exceptionally took part in the slalom on Sunday to try to grab some precious points. She finally took 27th place (4 points) and is therefore 282 units behind Gut-Behrami before the last four races in Saalbach (a victory earns 100 points but Gut-Behrami and Brignone will not do the slalom).
