Slick Shiffrin storms giant slalom
COURCHEVEL, France: American Mikaela Shiffrin stormed to a convincing victory in the World Cup giant slalom event in Courchevel on Tuesday, finishing almost a full second ahead of her key Olympic rival, France’s two-time world champion Tessa Worley.
In front of raucous home support, Worley laid down the fastest second run after finishing in eighth place after the first of two legs.
It looked like the Frenchwoman, who has an Australian father, might have done enough for a surprise victory as six higher-ranked racers all finished slower down the Emile Allais course.
But then came the turn of 22-year-old Shiffrin, the three-time world champion and 2014 Olympic slalom gold medallist.
And she made no mistake, setting off with a massive 1.42sec lead over Worley and clocking 1min 01.10sec for a combined total of 2:02.40.
Despite a slight error in the bottom third, Shiffrin’s winning margin was 0.99sec over Worley, world giant slalom gold medallist in 2017 and 2013.
It was Shiffrin’s 34th victory on the World Cup circuit in her short career, and fifth in the giant slalom.
Italy’s Manuela Moelgg, 34, was third, 0.02sec adrift with Norwegian Ragnhild Mowinckel a mere 0.01sec behind in fourth as the rivals start to measure up for the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in February.
Shiffrin’s US teammate Lindsey Vonn, winner of a super-G in Val d’Isere on the weekend but absent here after pinging her knee, was obviously following the race from the United States.
“Congrats @ MikaelaShiffrin and impressive 2nd run @ TessaWorley. Manu keeping it real for the old ladies,” Vonn tweeted alongside icons of hands raised in celebration and a flexed bicep. – AFP