MARIBOR, Slovenia (Feb. 22, 2015)—Through rain and soft snow in Maribor, Mikaela Shiffrin (Vail, CO) had two flawless slalom runs at the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup, never giving up first place. Shiffrin took the win by more than a second over Veronika Velez Zuzulova of Slovakia and Sarka Strachova of the Czech Republic.
After a smoking first run on the salted course, Shiffrin built a strong .68 second lead, giving her a comfortable first place cushion coming into second run. The cheers and cowbells were loud from the crowd, second only to the screams for hometown hero Tina Maze, who finished in a disappointing DNF.
But with the tricky conditions, Shiffrin warned that starting 30th second run could be a disadvantage. “I think it will be a bit rough,” said Shiffrin after her upcoming second run. “Especially running 30th, I’ll have to ski very athletic… I like the smooth courses, so I have to be tough.”
Shiffrin’s caveat was futile. The second run was tricky, forcing athletes to be strong through a turny section that tripped up many, but Shiffrin made it look easy the entire way down the hill. Shiffrin—who has purposefully been training on rutted, soft courses throughout the season—took the win handily by 1.02 seconds, finishing with a huge smile.
Shiffrin celebrates her Maribor win. (Getty Images/Agence Zoom-Christophe Pallot)
Hailey Duke (Boise, ID) was the only other American racer to start in Maribor. She did not finish first run.
Watch the replay of the slalom on Universal Sports Network at 1:00 and 7:00 p.m. EST on Sunday and at 12:30 a.m. EST on Monday.
The women’s tech team now has some time off, next heading to Are, Sweden on March 13. The speed team will be in Bansko, Bulgaria on Friday.
HIGHLIGHTS
This was Mikaela Shiffrin’s first slalom back on the World Cup after winning slalom gold at World Championships.
This race moved Shiffrin to first place in the overall slalom hunt, 30 points ahead of Frida Hansdotter of Sweden, who finished ninth in the Maribor slalom.
Shiffrin is now focused on retaining the crystal globe in slalom, which she won in 2013 and 2014. No one has won it more than two years in a row in 20 years.
Tina Maze took the win at the 2013 World Cup slalom in Maribor, Slovenia. Mikaela Shiffrin was eighth.
QUOTES Mikaela Shiffrin I like skiing in the rain! It doesn’t bother me too much. I felt like I really had to attack. I feel best after my races when I try to put two really good runs down and each run is better than the last. But I knew that I did have a little bit of time and had to be smart and not go crazy. My overall goal is to get the globe this season. I think I was a little bit smart second run, but also was still pushing it. I can be proud of the overall effort.
It’s incredible to have a really good two races here and to win the golden fox. That was really special today. Hopefully I can keep going and get a little bit better with my GS.
It was nice that these races were very quick after Beaver Creek. I can keep that focus and the mindset. Now we have a little break before Are and I can take a step back, relax, focus a little bit and try to see what else I can improve. We only have two more race series after this. I’m excited for the rest of the season.
The slalom globe is very close to my heart. It is really my entrance into the World Cup circuit and having success in my career. My first real success was winning the slalom globe. I really hope I can hang on to this [lead] for the rest of the season. But, I’m not really far ahead with World Cup points. I have to do a really good job the last two races and really fight for it. I know that Frida will be really going for it and I just have to do a good job. It does mean a lot to me. I hope I can also stay close to the GS globe, which is a goal for the future.
