Mikaela Shifrrin continues to drive from another planet in the Lienz slalom and is in first place after the first round. Lena Dürr has her eyes on the podium. Emma Aicher experienced a complete blackout.
Mikaela Shiffrin drove away from the competition in the first round in East Tyrol. The exceptional American athlete is in first place after the first round on Friday and is already over a second ahead of all other drivers. “It was really an exceptionally good run, perhaps the best of this slalom season,” said Shiffrin at the ARD microphone.
“More attack”: Lena Dürr is chasing the podium
Like many others, Lena Dürr didn’t have an optimal run and is already 1.66 seconds behind Shiffrin in fifth place. However, the top German driver is only 0.34 seconds short of the podium. “The place is okay, the distance is of course huge. There were a few good swings,” Dürr told ARD: “More attack would have been necessary. But everything is still possible in the second.”
Vlhová disappointed – Shiffrin before dream finish
Petra Vlhová, who beat Mikaela Shiffrin before Christmas in Courchevel and celebrated her second win of the season, also didn’t get along at all and is only in tenth place (+2.41s). Shiffrin could celebrate the perfect end to the year. The 28-year-old won the giant slalom on Thursday. The two-time Olympic champion leads both the overall World Cup and the slalom competition.
Dürr started the season with two podium places and a fourth place, but she was eliminated early in Courchevel, France, before Christmas. In the Slalom World Cup she is currently in third place behind Vlahova and Shiffrin.
German déjà vu: Aicher scores the first goal
Dürr’s teammate Emma Aicher experienced a complete blackout. The 20-year-old, who missed the second round of the giant slalom at the same place on Thursday, entered the first gate just a second after the start and was eliminated. Andrea Filser had exactly the same mishap in Courchevel
In Lienz, too, Filser did not finish her race and was eliminated after the first intermediate time. Newcomer Luisa Mangold also dropped out on the course, Jessica Hilzinger missed the second round in 36th place.