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SPORTSMonday 7 March 2016
Shiffrin wins by huge margin, Hansdotter takes slalom title
ERIC WILLEMSEN United States’ Mikaela Shiffrin speeds down the course during the first run of an alpine ski World and Velez-Zuzulova even
Associated Press Cup women’s slalom, in Jasna, Slovakia, Sunday, March 6, 2016. led her by 0.13 at the first
JASNA, Slovakia (AP) — Un- split time.
beaten in her favorite disci- Associated Press “Every run is like a fifty-fifty
pline for more than a year, chance that I have my tim-
Mikaela Shiffrin still had to son-ending race in St. Mori- huge winning margin, three ting in a trademark perfor- ing or I don’t,” Shiffrin said.
congratulate Frida Hans- tz, Switzerland, remaining. months after setting an all- mance, she accelerated “The two months off, I defi-
dotter of Sweden on win- It’s the Swede’s first disci- time record by winning a to an unmatched pace af- nitely lost a little bit of the
ning the World Cup slalom pline title after Shiffrin won slalom by 3.07 seconds. ter a moderate start. confidence in my timing
title on Sunday. it the past three seasons. “Both runs I tried to pretend “It was really good, I felt but that run I definitely had
In front of 17,000 spectators there was a bear hunting good,” said Shiffrin, who it.”
The Olympic champion and defying tough condi- me so I had to be fast. It was congratulated by Extending her big lead with
from the United States won tions due to snowfall and worked really well,” she many competitors and re- a solid final run, Shiffrin’s
the next-to-last race by a rain, the American posted added. ceived a complimentary victory never was in doubt.
massive 2.36-second mar- the fastest time in both runs Shiffrin, who turns 21 next pat on the shoulder from Runner-up Holdener ac-
gin while Hansdotter fin- to finish ahead of Wendy week, earned her 19th Norway’s Nina Loeseth knowledged that “Mikaela
ished 4.13 seconds back in Holdener of Switzerland. World Cup victory. Only while standing in front of is really good at the mo-
10th to wrap up the title. Veronika Velez-Zuzulova of Austrian great Annemarie the leaderboard. ment. She skies better than
Shiffrin has won all seven Slovakia was 2.77 back in Moser-Proell had won more The American was conser- us. We have to push hard
slaloms she competed in third. races — 31 — at the same vative in the first few gates so we can get to her level.”
since February 2015 but age. It was the first race at the
couldn’t retain the disci- “It feels like a dream, a little Shiffrin had left her rivals Slovakian resort in the Low
pline title this season hav- bit, and I am scared that in awe after a stunning Tatras mountains since
ing missed five races during I am going to wake up,” first run that gave her a 1984.
a two-month injury layoff. Shiffrin said about another 1.67-second lead. Put-
“I knew this was going to Skiing in front of her loudly
happen when I got injured,” cheering home crowd,
said Shiffrin, who damaged Velez-Zululova was “very
her knee in warmup for a happy” to finish third.
giant slalom in Are, Swe- “To have a home race was
den, in December. a dream, and it’s even
better now I am on the
“First I was really mad. Af- podium,” Velez-Zuzulova
ter a while, I honestly be- said. “It was no easy race
lieve that she deserves it. because of all the pressure
For Frida’s performances in and the expectations.”
the past four years she de- A giant slalom on the same
serves to have something course, which was called
like a crystal globe to have off Saturday due to strong
at home and to look at wind, is scheduled for
the rest of her life and say, Monday.q
‘Yeah, I won that fair and
square.’”
Hansdotter holds a
105-point lead over Velez-
Zuzulova with only the sea-
