Mikaela ‘Shiff-win’ strikes again with Killington victory
On Sunday, a 21-year-old athlete snagged her 21st World Cup slalom win in front of a 10,000-person home crowd in Killington, Vt. Despite waking up with a “bad feeling,” Mikaela Shiffrin put on a show for local fans, taking the win by 0.73 seconds.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself,” Shiffrin said. “Knowing that I’ve been performing so well in slalom, I really had a great chance of winning the slalom here. And I actually really wanted to win the GS as well, but I didn’t put winning GS skiing out there.”
With this win, Shiffrin continues to lead the slalom standings with 200 points, as well as the overall stands with 325 points.
Coming into the second run, Veronika Velez Zuzulova was 0.65 seconds off the pace. Zuzulova took advantage of the set by Slovakian coach and her father, Timotej Zuzula, in order to keep her second-place position, but wasn’t able to close the gap with Shiffrin.
“It was a really nice race,” she shared. “Usually we are racing in Aspen and I can say that the crowd is never like this, so it was a really nice experience to race here.”
Wendy Holdener rounded out the podium, coming in third, just 0.86 of Shiffrin’s pace. This is the Swiss skier’s sixth World Cup podium finish in slalom, and like the other women on the circuit, she is fighting to beat the American powerhouse who has won the last ten World Cup slalom races she started in.
“I think we get a step closer than last year,” Holdener said. “Still she [Shiffrin] is dominant and I think the other girls and I are on the right way to get closer and closer. I think it will get thrilling this season.”
Holdener sits second in the overall rankings with 168 points, and second in the slalom rankings behind Shiffrin with 140 points.
The U.S. Ski Team’s Resi Stiegler had another solid result, ending the day in 17th place. She noted how different the conditions were for the slalom versus Saturday’s giant slalom.
“They are mind-blowingly different,” she explained. “They really worked really hard last night to get ready for today and it’s a lot harder, smoother surface, which is safe and awesome. I’m stoked.”
Three other American athletes pushed out of the start gate–independent racer Megan McJames and U.S. Ski Teamers Lila Lapanja, Nina O’Brien and Patricia Mangan. McJames and Lapanja did not qualify for a second run, and O’Brien and Mangan did not finish first run.
“Really my whole focus for this year is to tap into my fastest skiing on race day,” Lapanja shared, looking ahead to future races like the one in Squaw Valley this March. “I have the speed in training, and I’m just warming up.”
For the Canadians, Marie-Michele Gagnon lead the charge, earning 14th place. Erin Mielzynski and Valerie Grenier also qualified for a second run, finishing in 22nd and 29th respectively. Teammate Laurence St. Germain, who also attends the University of Vermont, did not qualify for a second run.
Now, the ladies head to Lake Louise, Canada for speed races Nov. 29 – Dec. 4.
Top 10
- Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) – Atomic / Atomic / Atomic
- Veronika Velez Zuzulova (SVK) – Salomon / Solomon / Solomon
- Wendy Holdener (SUI) – Head / Head / Head
- Nina Loeseth (NOR) – Rossignol / Rossignol / Rossignol
- Petra Vlhova (SVK) – Rossignol / Rossignol / Rossignol
- Lena Duerr (GER) – Voelkl / Marker / Dalbello
- Sarka Strachova (CZE) – Fischer / Fischer / Fischer
- Bernadette Schild (AUT) – Head / Head / Head
- Michaela Kirchgasser (AUT) – Atomic / Atomic / Atomic
- Frida Hansdotter (SWE) – Rossignol / Rossignol / Rossignol
Official Results
Rank | Bib | FIS Code | Name | Year | Nation | Run 1 | Run 2 | Total Time | Diff. | FIS Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | 6535237 | SHIFFRIN Mikaela | 1995 | USA | 43.30 | 44.65 | 1:27.95 | 0.00 | |
2 | 7 | 705287 | VELEZ ZUZULOVA Veronika | 1984 | SVK | 43.95 | 44.73 | 1:28.68 | +0.73 | 5.98 |
3 | 3 | 516280 | HOLDENER Wendy | 1993 | SUI | 44.24 | 44.57 | 1:28.81 | +0.86 | 7.04 |
4 | 4 | 425771 | LOESETH Nina | 1989 | NOR | 44.55 | 44.74 | 1:29.29 | +1.34 | 10.97 |
5 | 6 | 705423 | VLHOVA Petra | 1995 | SVK | 44.84 | 44.46 | 1:29.30 | +1.35 | 11.05 |
6 | 18 | 206355 | DUERR Lena | 1991 | GER | 45.04 | 44.40 | 1:29.44 | +1.49 | 12.20 |
7 | 2 | 155415 | STRACHOVA Sarka | 1985 | CZE | 45.08 | 44.37 | 1:29.45 | +1.50 | 12.28 |
8 | 12 | 56032 | SCHILD Bernadette | 1990 | AUT | 45.20 | 44.32 | 1:29.52 | +1.57 | 12.85 |
9 | 8 | 55759 | KIRCHGASSER Michaela | 1985 | AUT | 45.44 | 44.44 | 1:29.88 | +1.93 | 15.80 |
10 | 5 | 505679 | HANSDOTTER Frida | 1985 | SWE | 44.87 | 45.20 | 1:30.07 | +2.12 | 17.36 |
11 | 15 | 505760 | PIETILAE-HOLMNER Maria | 1986 | SWE | 46.17 | 43.95 | 1:30.12 | +2.17 | 17.76 |
12 | 16 | 296509 | CURTONI Irene | 1985 | ITA | 46.04 | 44.24 | 1:30.28 | +2.33 | 19.07 |
13 | 27 | 565401 | BUCIK Ana | 1993 | SLO | 46.69 | 43.61 | 1:30.30 | +2.35 | 19.24 |
14 | 10 | 105269 | GAGNON Marie-Michele | 1989 | CAN | 45.44 | 44.88 | 1:30.32 | +2.37 | 19.40 |
15 | 19 | 56315 | TRUPPE Katharina | 1996 | AUT | 46.52 | 43.90 | 1:30.42 | +2.47 | 20.22 |
16 | 20 | 506341 | WIKSTROEM Emelie | 1992 | SWE | 46.33 | 44.10 | 1:30.43 | +2.48 | 20.30 |
17 | 13 | 537772 | STIEGLER Resi | 1985 | USA | 46.18 | 44.31 | 1:30.49 | +2.54 | 20.79 |
18 | 40 | 197319 | BAUD MUGNIER Adeline | 1992 | FRA | 46.31 | 44.32 | 1:30.63 | +2.68 | 21.94 |
19 | 11 | 516284 | GISIN Michelle | 1993 | SUI | 46.20 | 44.50 | 1:30.70 | +2.75 | 22.51 |
20 | 28 | 565320 | FERK Marusa | 1988 | SLO | 47.13 | 43.75 | 1:30.88 | +2.93 | 23.99 |
21 | 26 | 425981 | SKJOELD Maren | 1993 | NOR | 46.17 | 44.75 | 1:30.92 | +2.97 | 24.31 |
22 | 14 | 106961 | MIELZYNSKI Erin | 1990 | CAN | 46.24 | 44.69 | 1:30.93 | +2.98 | 24.40 |
23 | 25 | 515997 | FEIERABEND Denise | 1989 | SUI | 47.66 | 43.32 | 1:30.98 | +3.03 | 24.81 |
24 | 31 | 297601 | BRIGNONE Federica | 1990 | ITA | 47.10 | 43.90 | 1:31.00 | +3.05 | 24.97 |
25 | 30 | 56367 | GALLHUBER Katharina | 1997 | AUT | 47.42 | 43.79 | 1:31.21 | +3.26 | 26.69 |
26 | 9 | 196726 | BARTHET Anne-Sophie | 1988 | FRA | 46.44 | 44.84 | 1:31.28 | +3.33 | 27.26 |
27 | 24 | 56143 | GRUENWALD Julia | 1991 | AUT | 47.01 | 44.55 | 1:31.56 | +3.61 | 29.55 |
28 | 46 | 196803 | MOUGEL Laurie | 1988 | FRA | 47.55 | 44.46 | 1:32.01 | +4.06 | 33.24 |
29 | 49 | 107613 | GRENIER Valerie | 1996 | CAN | 47.66 | 44.60 | 1:32.26 | +4.31 | 35.28 |
Disqualified 1st run | ||||||||||
21 | 206279 | GEIGER Christina | 1990 | GER | ||||||
Did not start 1st run | ||||||||||
42 | 56174 | HAASER Ricarda | 1993 | AUT | ||||||
Did not qualify for 2nd run | ||||||||||
53 | 405138 | JELINKOVA Adriana | 1995 | NED | ||||||
52 | 538284 | MCJAMES Megan | 1987 | USA | ||||||
51 | 385096 | POPOVIC Leona | 1997 | CRO | ||||||
48 | 516344 | KOPP Rahel | 1994 | SUI | ||||||
45 | 56253 | HUBER Katharina | 1995 | AUT | ||||||
44 | 206536 | WALLNER Marina | 1994 | GER | ||||||
39 | 206532 | SCHMOTZ Marlene | 1994 | GER | ||||||
38 | 107427 | ST-GERMAIN Laurence | 1994 | CAN | ||||||
37 | 539927 | LAPANJA Lila | 1994 | USA | ||||||
35 | 485637 | ALOPINA Ksenia | 1992 | RUS | ||||||
34 | 306249 | HASEGAWA Emi | 1986 | JPN | ||||||
33 | 485802 | TKACHENKO Ekaterina | 1995 | RUS | ||||||
32 | 206701 | WILLIBALD Elisabeth | 1996 | GER | ||||||
Did not finish 2nd run | ||||||||||
41 | 516528 | MEILLARD Melanie | 1998 | SUI | ||||||
23 | 296354 | COSTAZZA Chiara | 1984 | ITA | ||||||
Did not finish 1st run | ||||||||||
57 | 6535765 | MANGAN Patricia | 1997 | USA | ||||||
56 | 299276 | BASSINO Marta | 1996 | ITA | ||||||
55 | 56241 | SCHNEEBERGER Rosina | 1994 | AUT | ||||||
54 | 6535773 | O BRIEN Nina | 1997 | USA | ||||||
50 | 56199 | KAPPAURER Elisabeth | 1994 | AUT | ||||||
47 | 155728 | DUBOVSKA Martina | 1992 | CZE | ||||||
43 | 56217 | BRUNNER Stephanie | 1994 | AUT | ||||||
36 | 225525 | TILLEY Alexandra | 1993 | GBR | ||||||
29 | 206487 | WIESLER Maren | 1993 | GER | ||||||
22 | 296259 | MOELGG Manuela | 1983 | ITA | ||||||
17 | 506146 | SWENN-LARSSON Anna | 1991 | SWE |