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SPORTS Wednesday 20 February 2019

Shiffrin wins city

event, locks up World

Cup slalom title

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Mikae- onds, but Shiffrin edged her
la Shiffrin wrapped up the by 0.10 in the second run to
season-long slalom World progress with the smallest
Cup title Tuesday, three margin possible.
days after winning her re- In the final, Shiffrin was
cord fourth straight world faster than Geiger twice as
title in the discipline. And the German settled for her
she matched yet another career best result and first
record in the process. World Cup podium in eight
Shiffrin won a parallel city years.
event, defeating Christina Shiffrin triumphed despite
Geiger of Germany in both still suffering from the cold
runs to win the final by 0.27 she also had to deal with at
seconds. the worlds in Are last week.
The victory gave the “I skied as well as I could.
American two-time overall Even if I was healthy, I prob-
champion an insurmount- ably wouldn’t have been
able 203-point lead in the able to do better. Now I
season standings with two have some time to really
races remaining. recover,” she said. United States’ Mikaela Shiffrin competes during an alpine ski World Cup women’s parallel slalom
Her closest challenger, Slo- Shiffrin will sit out races in city event, in Hammarbybacken, Stockholm, Sweden, Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019. Associated Press
vakia’s Petra Vlhova, was Crans Montana this week-
beaten by Geiger in the end and Sochi next week,
quarterfinals. before returning to the cir-
“Each run I was pretty good cuit on March 8-9 for tech-
but not always the fastest,” nical events in Spindleruv
Shiffrin said. Mlyn in Czech Republic,
“But I was consistent and for the resort where she had
tonight, that was enough. It her World Cup debut in
was really fun, actually.” 2011 at age 15.
It was Shiffrin’s 57th career In the men’s event,
win and 14th of the season, Zenhaeusern beat Hirscher
matching the record for in the quarterfinal on his
most World Cup victories in way to his second career
a single campaign, set by victory, after also winning
Swiss great Vreni Schneider here last year.
in the 1990s. Hirscher still ended up win-
Ramon Zenhaeusern of ning the season title as his
Switzerland won the men’s two main rivals, Clement
event, beating Olympic Noel and Kristoffersen, had
champion Andre Myhrer of gone out in the opening
Sweden in the final. round.
Marcel Hirscher lost in the “I am very happy. Winning
quarterfinals but the Aus- the title today was one of
trian seven-time overall the reasons for my start
champion gained enough here,” said Hirscher, who
World Cup points to lock successfully defended his
up the slalom season title. world title in the discipline
Both Shiffrin and Hirscher just two days earlier.
have won the crystal globe Noel, who won the World
for best slalom skier six times Cup slaloms in Wengen
in the past seven seasons. and Kitzbuehel last month,
They both missed the title in looked like defeating Man-
2016, when Sweden’s Frida fred Moelgg of Italy but
Hansdotter and Norway’s the Frenchman was dis-
Henrik Kristofferson finished qualified for straddling the
top of the rankings. final gate. And Kristoffer-
Beaten by Vlhova in a simi- sen, beaten by Norwegian
lar event in Oslo on New teammate Sebastian Foss-
Year’s Day, this time Shiffrin Solevaag, has failed to go
took the win, but she had beyond the opening round
to overcome a tough fight of all six city events he has
with Anna Swenn Larsson in competed in.
the semifinal. The next men’s World Cup
Cheered by her Swedish races are in Bansko, Bul-
home crowd, Larsson won garia, from Friday through
the first run by 0.09 sec- Sunday.q