Good Day for Vonn, Bad News for Shiffrin.
(Photo: Agence Zoom)
The Women’s World Cup headed to Are, Sweden this weekend with a Giant Slalom scheduled for Saturday and a Slalom race on Sunday. Last week in Lake Louise Canada Lindsey Vonn swept the weekend, winning 2 Downhill races and a Super G race. One week earlier Mikaela Shiffrin won 2 Slalom races in Aspen Colorado. So when the US Ski Team looked at the schedule again this weekend, I’m sure everyone thought this would be another great weekend for the Americans. Saturday was scheduled to be a Giant Slalom race, a discipline in which both Vonn and Shiffrin are solid racers and Sunday was a Slalom race that set up perfectly for Shiffrin to continue her run as the best in the technical race.
Early in the day Mikaela Shiffrin was free skiing, getting warmed up, when she flipped and went into the netting on the side of the course. Shiffrin was taken down the mountain on a snow mobile and had pain in her right knee. Early reports from Shiffrin on her Twitter is that it is “at least an MCL injury and bone bruising, hopefully no additional injury.” Shiffrin flew back to the US to have an MRI done by her doctor. She missed the races this weekend and there is no further information yet about her status going forward.
Are, Sweden is at the 63 degree latitude and the light, even during the day, is not very bright. Light conditions during the day were dim, the snow was very packed, but ruts had formed prior to racing on the course. As the day went on the lights came on, but even with the trail lights on the lights create differences in light and shadows throughout the course. At the start of the second run a light snow also began, diminishing visibility.
Giant Slalom is a two run, combined time format where the leader of the first run goes last for the second run. Vonn led after the first run, but Frida Hansdotter (SWE) and Eva-Maria Brem (AUT) were right on her heals. Viktoria Rebensburg, a German skier who looked to be ready to take the next step in GS this year, finished 1.2 seconds back after the first run and 11th overall. The snow that continued to fall made the course a little more inconsistent. Michelle-Marie Gagnon (CAN) slid out of the course due to the falling snow. Hansdotter seemed to be slower the second run, her line down the course didn’t look as confident and finished a disappointing 6th. Brem had a great run, she attacked the course and ran her line right at the flags. Brem was in 1st as Vonn took the final run. Vonn, got a great start, attacked the gates, and avoided a hole that had been created over a knoll. As she raced into the finish line, it was clear the time was going to be very close with Brem. Vonn finished, looked up at the time and saw that she had won again. Unlike her domination in downhill, Vonn sneaked out a win by .07 seconds.
Giant Slalom
1 – Lindsey Vonn (USA)
2 – Eva-Maria Brem (AUT) +.07
3 – Federica Brignone (ITA) +.35
Sunday should’ve been another great day for Shiffrin, but with the injury Saturday, the Slalom field was wide open. Unfortunately for the Americans, behind Shiffrin is a wide gap to the next star technical racer. Resi Stiegler is a very good technical skier from Jackson Wyoming, but she’s not on the level of Shiffrin. On Sunday Stiegler had a good first run, only a second off the pace, but her second run wasn’t as good. Stiegler finished in 18th. Hansdotter is going to be in the mix in almost every race, she is a great Swedish skier who can be technical and can burn in the speed races. Hansdotter had the best second run of the day, putting her in 2nd overall. Petra Vlhova (SVK) had the best first run and held on to win. This was her first top 3 finish of the year.
Slalom
1 – Petra Vlhova (SVK)
2 – Frida Hansdotter (SWE) +.59
3 – Nina Loeseth (NOR) +.65
Follow Kyle Wescott on Twitter @MHSWescott
