Slovak skier Petra Vlhová ended the calendar year with less than ideal results. Like on Thursday, she struggled in the first round of the slalom on Friday in Lienzi, Austria, and only tried to correct the loss in the second. Even this time, the improved performance was not enough for the podium.
news-item-description">Slovak skier Petra Vlhová managed to close the gap on the leading competitors when she set the fifth best time in the 2nd round of the World Cup slalom in Lienzi, Austria. As expected, the sovereign American Mikaela Shiffrin became the winner.
She finished the last race of the year in fifth place, losing more than three seconds to the first Mikaela Shiffrin. “Those were difficult days in Lienzi. I think everyone saw that Petra was not able to reach her highest level. Some days are just like that, we have to accept it. We know that what Petra showed is not her level and she can be much stronger. We will get together and prepare for the next race,” stated coach Mauro Pini after the race.
After Thursday’s giant slalom, Petra Vlhová poured ashes on her head for the unmanaged first run, during which she felt helpless. The Swiss, however, stood up for his client and did not see the problems so much on the track as in a bad combination of circumstances. According to him, the skier from the Tatras was not quite in her own skin.
news-item-description">Slovak skier Petra Vlhová took 7th place in this year’s last giant slalom. She was ranked 18th after the first round, but with a fantastic run in the second round she climbed back into the top 10 and avoided her worst placing in the last five years.
“Petra can ski everywhere and in all conditions. She tried to give her best performance. The problem was not in the technique, nor in the material or in anything else, it was in the body. She couldn’t be in a good mood. Previously, she flew down the hill on skis during training. Like I said, some days end like this too.’
Mikaela Shiffrin has had successful days behind her. After two victorious days, she consolidated her leading position in the evaluations of technical disciplines. In the battle for the small globe for the giant slalom, she is in the lead with 400 points, and in the slalom she is 105 points ahead of the second Petra Vlhová. “We would like to acquire them. It won’t be easy. We lost one race in Levi and with Mikaela Shiffrin at this level it’s not easy.”
news-item-description">In the 2023/24 World Cup in downhill skiing, Slovakia will be represented again by Petra Vlhová, the holder of the Olympic slalom gold from Beijing 2022, who is the strongest in slalom. In addition to the most winding discipline, she plans to start in the giant slalom, she should include speed disciplines in her program only exceptionally.
2023-12-29 15:15:00
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