Mikaela Shiffrin cruises to a stunning giant slalom victory in Courchevel to make it 72nd Alpine Ski World Cup win
BySportsbeat
Updated 21/12/2021 at 15:16 GMT
Mikaela Shiffrin, who trailed Sofia Goggia in the overall World Cup standings before the race, now goes back to the top of the pile, taking advantage of a bad day for the Italian. Goggia, the downhill specialist, was tenth after the first run but lost control second time around and did not finish, allowing Shiffrin to open up a 35-point lead at the top of the standings.
‘A masterclass!’ - Shiffrin cruises to stunning giant slalom win in Courchevel
Mikaela Shiffrin cruised to a stunning giant slalom victory in Courchevel to record the 72nd Alpine Ski World Cup win of her career.
With a lead of 0.74 seconds from the first run, Shiffrin was in the perfect position going into the second run and she was flawless again, as she took the win by 0.86 seconds from Sweden's Sara Hector, with Switzerland's Michelle Gisin completing the podium.
Hector, who was third after the first run, was the fastest on the second, but she had given herself too much to do to top Shiffrin.
And a year after an emotional win in Courchevel, the first following the passing of her father, this was a more measured Shiffrin.
She said: "Today was really quite a difficult day. After the last weeks, pushing the schedule hard, it's been a lot just to get here. I felt like I skied some of my best skiing and some of my toughest skiing. It's really incredible.
"It wasn't easy for anybody. A tough day, a good day and a good type of challenge."
Shiffrin now has 670 points in the overall World Cup standings, while she also leads the way in the giant slalom rankings, having won both events so far.
The action continues with more giant slalom in Courchevel on Wednesday, where Shiffrin will be favourite to add another win to her collection as she sits just ten behind Lindsey Vonn for the most victories ever by a female skier.
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