Zrinka Ljutic Ends 22-Year Croatian Drought with Semmering Win
With Germany’s Lena Dürr leading the race, all eyes turned to 20-year-old Croatia’s Zrinka Ljutic, the fastest skier from the first run, to decide the winner. Benefiting from her father setting the first run course, Ljutic entered the second run with a 0.51-second advantage over Dürr. Despite Dürr’s impressive second run, which included a significant mistake, Ljutic extended her lead to 1.75 seconds, clinching her first World Cup victory. The win was historic, marking the first time in 22 years that a Croatian woman claimed a World Cup victory, following in the footsteps of skiing legend Janica Kostelić. Ljutic, who had previously earned three slalom podiums, finally stood atop the podium in a breakthrough moment for her career.






















