Petra Vlhova stars again in Lienz slalom, excitement grows for Winter Olympics showdown with Mikaela Shiffrin

Updated 29/12/2021 at 17:10 GMT

Can anyone stop Petra Vlhova at Beijing 2022? The Slovakian is going for a slalom-giant slalom double at the Winter Games next year, with all eyes already on a likely showdown with American skiing legend Mikaela Shiffrin. Vlhova produced a near-flawless final run in Lienz to snatch top spot off Austria’s Katharina Liensberger.

Women’s top three in Lienz as Vlhova secures win from Liensberger and Gisin

Petra Vlhova signed off the year in style with a dominant victory in the women’s slalom in Lienz, Austria.

The Slovakian wrestled back top spot on the day’s final run to deny Katharina Liensberger on home soil by +0.51 seconds.

Vlhova extends her lead at the top of the slalom charts to 120 points with closest rival Mikaela Shiffrin missing out after testing positive for Covid-19.

Åre

Shiffrin marks return from injury by sealing slalom crystal globe

10/03/2024 at 20:04

She also strengthened her grip on third in the overall standings, although she has previously admitted she will skip the majority of the World Cup speed races to focus on the two slalom events at Beijing 2022.

Victory capped a fine meeting for Vlhova, who also finished second in the giant slalom behind France’s Tessa Worley on Tuesday.

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics begin on February 4, with all eyes on a slalom showdown between Shiffrin and Vlhova.

- - -

Stream the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games live and on-demand on discovery+

Åre

'Are likely to be the target' - Shiffrin focusing on slalom and giant slalom return

15/02/2024 at 09:40

Alpine Skiing

Gut-Behrami leapfrogs Shiffrin in Alpine Ski World Cup standings with third straight victory

10/02/2024 at 20:53

Soldeu

Shiffrin rules out Andorra return and addresses 'staggering' number of injuries

08/02/2024 at 10:17

Join 3M+ users on app

Stay up to date with the latest news, results and live sports

Download

Scan me