She coped with the adverse conditions brilliantly and recovered from the great sadness of Saturday’s race in style on Sunday.
Photo: Martin Baumann
Petra Vlhová and her coach Mauro Pini hug each other at the finish line.
Petra Vlhová is back in the battle for the small crystal globe in slalom. Today, she was able to triumph in Kranjska Gora ahead of the German Lena Dürrová (0.72 second lead) and the American AJ Hurtová (+ 0.87), who claimed her first podium with starting number 38.
“It’s something amazing that I was able to win in front of so many Slovak fans. I wanted to win and show my skiing skills. I am very happy,” the Slovak skier admitted to JOJ Šport.
Return to the fight for the globe
With the number one on her jersey, she reached the finish line in 51.30 seconds after the first run. None of the opponents could overcome him. Even Vlhová did not avoid hesitation, but her competitors made more significant mistakes and fell behind.
Surprisingly, Mikaela Shiffrin was already out of the game after the first intermission. Thus, the situation in Levi was repeated, where Vlhová was eliminated and the American did not disdain the gifted triumph.
“I didn’t go the best, but I didn’t go bad either. I was struggling with visibility because wet snow is falling. I couldn’t see anything through my glasses from the halfway point. I could use wipers…,” Vlhová amused.
Read more The first triumph of the new year! Vlhová drove aggressively to win in Kranjska Gora
Twenty-eight-year-old Liptáčka went in the 2nd round, like in Saturday’s giant slalom, to the track of today’s slalom as the last thirty in the order.
The pad was completely destroyed, several female racers had significant problems. However, Vlhová managed her ride brilliantly and in the end increased her lead from the first round by almost half a second.
Also thanks to her 31st triumph in the World Cup and Shiffrin’s elimination, she returned to the battle for the small crystal globe in slalom, which she already won twice in her career.
“I made a mistake before the finish line, but I’m very happy that it worked out. And the battle for a small globe in slalom? I’m not solving it yet,” the winner continued.
She could achieve a winning double
The Slovak skier had an excellent performance in Saturday’s giant slalom. After the first race, she immediately forgot about the botched two races in Lienzi. She did not find any defeater and was satisfied with the evaluation of the first run.
“I felt good. There were some minor mistakes that I wouldn’t make on the next ride. I tried to go with what I know, after all it is the first place. Especially when the conditions are like this, I feel good on my skis, although it’s difficult because it’s still raining,” admitted Vlhová after the first ride.
Read more We are back in the game, stated Pini. Vlhová also had to deal with snow in her glasses, she thanked the resilient Slovaks
In it, she gained a decisive lead on the approach to the final level. Paradoxically, in the second round, she lost her place on the podium.
Podkoren entered the last part of the track with a narrow deficit, which eventually grew to 61 hundredths of a second, and Vlhová finished fourth behind Canadian Valerie Grenierová, Lara Gutová-Behramiová and Federica Brignoneová.
After the race, Mauro Pini’s charge was really disappointed, again she showed only one excellent ride in one day. Understandably, she didn’t have much to say.
“It was a struggle, I gave it my all, but it didn’t work out. The speed was higher and the track was straighter. I saw some goals, others flashed by, the conditions were difficult. But the babies were faster,” assessed Vlhová.
Her biggest rival Shiffrin has one of the worst weekends behind her. Even before the aforementioned elimination in the first round of the slalom, she finished ninth in Saturday’s giant slalom.
The nearest stop of the Women’s Alpine Skiing World Cup is Altenmarkt-Zauchensee. Two super giant slaloms and one downhill race will be held in the Austrian resort from January 11 to 14. Vlhová will wait until January 16 for her start. In the traditional night slalom in Flachau, he will defend the first place from last year.
2024-01-07 13:14:00
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