Featured Image: Podium in Courchevel. Credit: GEPA
The real night slalom begins with the second run once the sun goes down, as the women battle under the illuminated Emile-Allais Stadium in Courchevel.
The first run was intense with high aggression and a battle for a leaderboard spot; however, the second run came in with higher speeds and more chances to take risks. The set was described as a “screamer,” so the women had to fire it up.
Zrinka Ljutić of Croatia (-0.19) and Wendy Holdener of Switzerland established a solid gap ahead of the field in the initial run.
Zrinka Ljutíc didn’t just grab a hold of victory; she dominated the field with a superb run two (+1.26), while Wendy Holdener unfortunately went out in the beginning of the course.
She stated, “I just wanted to push, and I said, ‘Ah, screw it, I probably already lost my lead.’ I pushed all the way to the finish. I can’t believe it.”
“I am living the dream and don’t wake me up,” Ljutíc stated.
Podium
Sara Hector of Sweden has not finished one World Cup slalom race in Courchevel but put down a ripping second run.
Hector concluded the day with a personal best in slalom, with her first 2nd-place result in the discipline.
Rounding out the podium was German Lena Dürr. Lena Dürr was in 8th (+1.14) after the first run and had to fight during the second run to move up to a podium spot. This marked her second podium in Courchevel and the 15th of her career in slalom.
Mikaela Shiffrin
Shiffrin has been recovering from an oblique puncture wound over the past 60 days and has returned to skiing under the lights of Courchevel.
Before the race, she explained that she had some nerves but worked through them. She stated, “It is ok to be a little bit afraid and want to be here anyway. It is nice to be racing.” She did not show a glimpse of fear with an aggressively strong initial run.
She stated after she conquered her inaugural run, “I had some good turns. I felt like I was flirting with the intensity a bit. Overall, it was fun! Kind of challenging, but fun to ski, and I had some good turns and some mistakes. But it’s my first run back, and that is exciting!”
In her second run, she had a small mistake in the beginning, but she regained herself. She was fighting throughout the course and came into the finish arena with a smile on her face.
Shiffrin was excited to feel the nerves of World Cup racing again and showed no sign of being knocked down. She ended the day in an impressive 10th place.
After the race, she stated, “I think this was really an important step in my recovery to see how I am stacking up with the top skiers in the world. Also, to see what I can work on to improve my skiing.”
“Also, to get this start before the World Champs and not an easy race because the track and the conditions were difficult,” she continued.
Ali Nullmeyer
Ali Nullmeyer of Alpine Canada Alpin has been off snow recovering from a back injury. She explained her excitement about her return on social media. She wrote, “Dancing = my excitement to be pushing out of the start gate tomorrow!”
Her first run was superb, and she looked composed and confident throughout the run. She came into the second run +1.85 behind the lead.
In the second run, she was attacking from gate to gate but had a few bobbles towards the bottom of the run. Impressively, she fought to stay in it and ended the day in 13th, which marked a strong, confident comeback.
Camille Rast
Camille Rast of Switzerland, wearing the leader bib, got behind in the first run (+1.49), and knew she had to push her limits in run two to maintain the top. She did not hold anything back in the second run and ignited to the finish line.
She concluded the day in 10th place, which was enough to keep her as the leader of the World Cup slalom standings.
Other Highlights
Lisa Hoerhager was the first athlete to kick out of the start gate on the second run. The Austrian athlete started the day wearing bib-43 and moved up to 16th position. This was her second score of the season; her first World Cup points were achieved in Killington with a 22nd-place result.
Hanna Aronsson Elfman of Sweden held off eight athletes to achieve 12th place. The 22-year-old was wearing bib-28 and was able to achieve her top result of the season.
Thea Stjernesund of Norway was the highest bib number to qualify for the second run. Competing with bib 51, the 28-year-old finished 29th place after her first run. In the second run, she threw down, concluding in 23rd place.
Top 30 Race Results
Top Three Analysis
North American Analysis
About the Author: Ellie Hartman
