U.S. takes back Whistler Cup behind Shiffrin's sweep

Burke Mountain Academy’s Mikaela Shiffrin finished a dream weekend at the prestigious Whistler Cup races on Sunday, taking the J4 slalom to complete a sweep of the three events and help the U.S. squad win back the Whistler Cup after losing it to Canada last year.
    Friday, Shiffrin won the kombi, which combined elements of slalom and super G. On Saturday, Shiffrin rolled to a giant slalom win by more than a second. Sunday in the slalom, she clocked a two-run combined effort that was more than 3.3 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Petra Vlhova of Slovakia. Ekaterina Tkachenko of Russia was well over four seconds out in third.
    “This is a huge accomplishment because I know that there are some very talented competitors here. I just tried to ski my best and go for it,” said Shiffrin, who hails from Lyme, N.H.
    The U.S. team easily outpaced the rest of the 17-nation field in J4 points accumulated over the weekend, tallying 139 to 124 for second place Japan. Austria didn’t enter any J4 skiers in the Whistler Cup. The Austrians did tally 218 points in the J3 events, and that was good enough for second place overall behind the U.S., which tallied 271 total points. Canada finished third with 209.
BURKE MOUNTAIN ACADEMY'S Mikaela Shiffrin finished a dream weekend at the prestigious Whistler Cup races on Sunday, taking the J4 slalom to complete a sweep of the three events and help the U.S. squad win back the Whistler Cup after losing it to Canada last year.
    Friday, Shiffrin won the kombi, which combined elements of slalom and super G. On Saturday, Shiffrin rolled to a giant slalom win by more than a second. Sunday in the slalom, she clocked a two-run combined effort that was more than 3.3 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Petra Vlhova of Slovakia. Ekaterina Tkachenko of Russia was well over four seconds out in third.
    “This is a huge accomplishment because I know that there are some very talented competitors here. I just tried to ski my best and go for it,” said Shiffrin, who hails from Lyme, N.H.
    “My long-term goal is to make the U.S. World Cup team, that’s what I’m shooting for but right now I’m just having fun. In the start gate I’m focused and prepared but the most important thing to me right now is that ski racing is fun for me.”
    The U.S. team easily outpaced the rest of the 17-nation field in J4 points accumulated over the weekend, tallying 139 to 124 for second place Japan. Austria didn’t enter any J4 skiers in the Whistler Cup. The Austrians did tally 218 points in the J3 events, and that was good enough for second place overall behind the U.S., which tallied 271 total points. Canada finished third with 209.
    J4 Hughston Norton of California’s Heavenly race team won the men’s slalom Sunday, his second podium of the weekend after finishing runner-up in Friday’s kombi. Slovakia’s Roman Murin was second and American Alex Leever (Ski Club Vail) finished tied for third with Canada’s Karl Kuus.
    Max Hall (Squaw Valley) joined Shiffrin and Norton on the top step this weekend, winning the J4 GS on Saturday by more than a second over Japan’s Sho Miyazaki. Colin Martens (Holimont) was fourth for the U.S. team, Devon Cardamone (Aspen Ski Club) sixth and Leever tied for ninth.
    In Sunday’s J3 giant slalom races, Austrians Christian Juffinger and Paul Zimmerman finished 1-2, with Canada’s Morgan Megarry third. Juffinger and Zimmerman also finished 1-2 in Saturday’s slalom race. Kegan Zorens (Team Summit) was the top American in Sunday’s GS in 12th place.
    “The time trials earlier this week showed that GS could be my best event. I knew I could win today if I skied my best. I didn’t win but I’m on the podium so I’m happy,” said Megarry, who also was crowned the Canadian men’s K2 slalom champion last month.
    In Sunday’s J3 women’s GS, Austria’s Lisa Reis edged Valentina Volopichova of the Czech Republic by 0.19 seconds for the win, with Christina Goessner of Germany third. Foreste Peterson (Squaw Valley) finished tied for seventh to lead five Americans in the top 15: Kaytlyn Samuelson (Ski Club Vail) was 10th, Paula Moltzan (Buck Hill) 11th, Sydney Staples (Park City) 12th and Makenzie Brown (Burke Mtn.) 14th.
    Two U.S. men managed top-10 finishes in Saturday’s J3 slalom. Team Summit’s Conor McDonald 0.40 seconds off the all-Austrian podium in fourth place, while Sandy Vietze (GMVS) was eighth.
    American Greta Byrne (Ski Club Vail) squeezed onto the podium between a pair of Germans in Sataurday’s J3 women’s slalom. Byrne clocked a two-run effort of 1:31.95 to finish 0.46 back of champion Andrea Filser. Filser’s teammate Christina Goessner was third, but four more Americans made the top 15, led by Peterson in fifth. Staples was ninth, followed by Elle Gilbert (Suicide Six) (10th) and Samuelson (13th).
    Click here for a link to full Whistler Cup results .