Page 23 - ARUBA TODAY

SPORTS Monday 27 noveMber 2017
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American Shiffrin captures another slalom title in Vermont

KILLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Mi- first of this season, at Levi,
kaela Shiffrin had one of Finland.
those days on Sunday, the She has come to realize
kind her competitors on how difficult it is to beat
the World Cup have come Shiffrin. “You can’t mistakes
to dread. and still beat Mikaela,” Vl-
On a day when cold wind hova said.On Sunday, she
gusts and angry snow didn’t have a great first
squalls raked Killington, run, and she made a mis-
Shiffrin won the first run take on the flats in the sec-
convincingly, and then ond run. She was surprised
skied brilliantly on a brutal that she was in front when
second course to distance she crossed the line, where
herself further from her ri- she stayed until Shiffrin
vals. skied.Shiffrin now leads the
Shiffrin, who was second overall World Cup stand-
in Saturday’s giant slalom ings with 305 points. With
to Germany’s Viktoria Re- a win and a second-place
bensburg, picked up her finish each, Shiffrin and Vl-
first win of the season, and hova are tied for the sla-
made it look almost easy. lom points lead.
She finished with a com- For Shiffrin, this was her
bined two-run time of 1 26th World Cup slalom win,
minute, 40.91 seconds, 1.64 making her third all time.
seconds ahead of Petra Vl- First place finisher, Mikaela Shiffrin, of the United States, center, celebrates on the podium with At just 22, she has won 32
hova of Slovakia. Austria’s second place Petra Vlhova, of Slovakia, left, and third place Bernadette Schild, of Austria, at the races in all disciplines, ninth
Bernadette Schild finished women’s FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup slalom race, Sunday, Nov. 26, 2017, in Killington, Vt. all-time. And the Killington
third in 1:43.58, a distant (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) slalom was her sixth World
2.67 seconds back. hard and fast, was unfor- her up. “That start was the second run. “I wanted to Cup win in the United
Shiffrin also won the slalom giving. Seven of the 30 ski- attitude I wanted to take be aggressive,” she said. “I States. Only Switzerland’s
at Killington last year, when ers failed to finish, including into today,” she said, mak- wanted to have the same Vreni Schneider (8) and
the World Cup returned to Switzerland’s Wendy Hold- ing a statement by the time mentality as the first run: American Tamara McKin-
Vermont for the first time er, who was closest to Shif- she got to the first interval, Be smart, but let it fly. I had ney (7) have won more.
since 1978. frin after the first run. which was just 10 seconds that feeling on both runs “This was even sweeter
Like the first run, the sec- But Shiffrin had a dominant into the run. She skied that today.”Vlhova had won than last year,” Shiffrin said,
ond run Sunday took place performance on a very short span about a third the last two slaloms on the noting that in 2016 she was
under gray skies, but it was tough hill. of a second faster than World Cup — the final race “almost incapacitated by
noticeably colder and She credited a blazing start anyone else.She brought of the previous season, at nerves” to be competing
windier. And the course, in the first run for picking the same attitude into the Aspen, Colorado, and the in Vermont. q
Kovalev knocks out Shabranskyy in 2nd round of title fight

By BARRY WILNER, Kovalev lost his last two out- “It is my goal to be the best up Kovalev with one. But out his tongue at one point.
AP Sports Writer ings to Andre Ward, and in the division,” said Kova- then the hammer was low- He needed more lefts like
NEW YORK (AP) — Sergey he brought a dynamic fury lev, who took back the ered in the form of Kova- the one that stunned and
Kovalev “krushed” it. into the Madison Square WBO crown that Ward re- lev’s right lead that floored floored Barrera in the open-
The light heavyweight nick- Garden ring. He dropped linquished when he retired. Shabranskyy.He got up, ing moments of the fight.
named “Krusher” made Shabranskyy twice in the “I’m happy that the belts but was soon down from He also needed to avoid
short work of Slava Shab- first round, once more in have different owners, and a combination including a throwing low blows: Valera,
ranskyy to recapture the the second, and some- it makes everything inter- huge right. of the Dominican Republic,
WBO title Saturday night. how Shabranskyy didn’t go esting and we can make Things were much the was docked points three
He used a devastating se- down from another series better fights. We have a same in the second round times. The second time, in
ries of right hands to stop of powerhouse punches bunch of belt holes and we before the bout was wisely the sixth infuriated Barrera,
the challenger at 2:36 of seconds before the fight can now find out who is the stopped.On the HBO under- who had his best round.
the second round. was stopped. best.”Shabranskyy fell to card, Sullivan Barrera, who But Barrera, who also
“Here tonight was great The 34-year-old Kovalev 19-2. He landed a few solid defected from Cuba near- scored a first-round knock-
boxing for me, and I love easily disposed of his op- punches, but he couldn’t ly a decade ago, outpoint- down, was penalized for a
boxing and I want to make ponent from Ukraine. The handle Kovalev’s massive ed Felix Valera in a light low shot in the ninth.
great fights,” Kovalev said. Russian improved to 31-2-1 rights. heavyweight fight marred The decision was unani-
“I am ready for any cham- with 27 knockouts. Few of Shabranskyy actually start- by a series of low blows. mous for Barrera, whose
pion because this is very them were more impres- ed well, connecting on Valera clowned around in only loss in 22 fights was to
good for boxing.” sive. some lefts, even backing many rounds, even sticking Ward. q