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Friday 17 February 2017
Worley regains giant slalom title at worlds; Shiffrin 2nd
GRAHAM DUNBAR American team’s medal
AP Sports Writer tally — adding to Lindsey
ST. MORITZ, Switzerland (AP) Vonn’s bronze in downhill
— Tessa Worley regained — after eight events. The
her giant slalom title at the host Swiss team leads with
world ski championships on six medals, three of them
Thursday, holding off hard- gold.
charging Mikaela Shiffrin to “Everyone wants to see
take gold. medals of course, but that
Worley, the 2013 cham- is part of the game,” said
pion, finished 0.34 seconds Shiffrin, who is unbeaten in
ahead of Shiffrin, who was slalom at major champion-
fastest in the second run ships, including the 2014
as warm sunshine softened Olympics.
the snow. “I’m no stranger to feel-
Soffia Goggia of Italy took ing like the favorite or the
bronze, 0.74 behind, four person that is supposed
days after being in tears to deliver the medal,” the
when losing her shot at the American said. “I kind of
downhill title with a big mis- feel like some of the pres-
take near the finish. sure is off because I got a
Shiffrin was third-fastest in medal now.”
the morning run. She then From left: Silver medalist Mikaela Shiffrin of the United States, gold medalist Tessa Worley of France The flamboyant Goggia is
used downhill-style skills to and bronze medalist Sofia Goggia of Italy, displays their medals during the medal ceremony of having a breakout season
be quicker than anyone the women’s Giant Slalom at the 2017 FIS Alpine Skiing World Championships in St. Moritz, Switzer- and her 10th podium fin-
on the relatively flat final land, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017. ish, after nine in World Cup
Associated Press races, got her a first career
slope. medal and the first for her
“I was really going for it country in St. Moritz.
and I was happy with that In Sunday’s downhill, the
fight,” Shiffrin said. 24-year-old Italian needed
The silver was the first an agile recovery to finish
medal in giant slalom for but was still 0.07 behind
the 21-year-old American, Vonn in fourth.
who will start as the favor- Goggia edged teammate
ite for her third straight sla- Federica Brignone out of
lom world title on Saturday. the medals on Thursday.
“Who knew?” Shiffrin said. “I can feel her pain be-
“I’ve always known I could cause I was in pain from
ski fast in GS. It’s taken a my downhill,” said Goggia,
while to actually put that who pledged to give her
out there.” anti-doping sample and
Worley now has two golds then drink champagne
in St. Moritz, after helping “until midnight.”
France win the team event The podium followed many
on Tuesday. predictions in a discipline
“Today the pressure was that lost some of its best ski-
bigger, but I did it. ers.
I’m so proud,” said the Olympic champion Tina
27-year-old champion, the Maze of Slovenia has re-
first-run leader who had a tired, while season-ending
0.48 gap on Goggia and leg injuries removed World
two-tenths more on Shiffrin. Cup champion Eva-Maria
“It seems a lot but it really Brem of Austria and Swiss
isn’t.” contender Lara Gut from
Worley and Shiffrin have a race that had 98 starters.
been the dominant giant Defending world cham-
slalom skiers this season. pion Anna Vieth, the Olym-
The Frenchwoman leads pic silver medalist from
3-2 in World Cup wins, was Austria, is far from her best
runner-up in both of Shif- just weeks into a come-
frin’s victories and tops the back from knee surgery
season-long standings. and trailed Worley by more
Shiffrin’s silver doubled the than three seconds.q
