Petra Vlhová narrowly beat Mikaela Shiffrin in Courchevel and overtook Lena Dürr in the Slalom World Cup. The DSV athlete was eliminated early.
Petra Vlhová prevailed in a close race against Mikaela Shiffrin in Courchevel. With a strong second run, she was able to finish just ahead of the American. 24 hundredths were enough for victory. With her second triumph of this World Cup season, the Slovakian overtook DSV athlete Lena Dürr, who was eliminated early, in the Slalom World Cup and took second place there. The Austrian Katharina Troupe came third (+2.06 seconds).
It was clear after the first round that the victory in the night slalom would be decided in a duel between the two outstanding slalom skiers of recent years. The American was 17 hundredths ahead of Vlhová, the rest of the field was more than a second behind Shiffrin.
Difficult slope, more demanding course
Difficult piste conditions and a technically demanding course with many changes in pace and rhythm were the reason why the two top riders were so ahead of the rest of the riders. In the second round the constant rain turned into snow. The many failures are a sign of how difficult the conditions were that evening.
Troop next to “the two bosses”
After Katharina Liensberger, third in the first run, had an extremely difficult time and was only just able to make it to the finish, Vlhová was already almost a second and a half ahead of the troop. She was able to significantly expand this lead. In the end, more than two seconds separated them from the troops. So it remained an exciting duel for victory. Shiffrin already had slight problems at the start and the narrow lead disappeared. The closer the American came to the finish line, the more clear it became how strong Vlhová’s second run was. Too strong, even for Shiffrin. The Slovakian celebrated her 30th World Cup victory.
“In the first run I had a few problems with my skiing. The second run was better. I gave it my all”said Vlhová after the race. When asked about the duel with Shiffrin, the Slovakian said: “Sometimes it’s hard” and immediately received praise from her competitor. “Petra is simply an incredible skier”said Shiffrin after the race, “But I also drove very well.” The American explained that she realized today that she still has a lot to learn. The Austrian team also showed itself to be a good third party: “It’s crazy. Everyone pulled together today. It feels great to be standing next to the two bosses after the past, difficult races.” Contemplative atmosphere at the finish line so close to Christmas.
Dürr is eliminated, DSV athletes disappoint
The same could not be said of the German camp. The DSV athletes had a really bad day. Lena Dürr, who started with a lot of self-confidence as number two in the Slalom World Cup and with two podium places behind her, couldn’t cope with the course at all. She lost time on Shiffrin in the first section, and after a good twenty seconds she made a serious skiing error, lost control of her skis, slipped and merged. Out in round one.
Emma Aicher and Andrea Filser also couldn’t finish the first round. Jessica Hilzinger (+3.53) narrowly missed the second round in 33rd place. In the end she was 13 hundredths short.