Ski splits on the "Superstar" slope cost Dürr the "podium"
Ski racer Lena Dürr continues her strong form in the still young Alpine season, but narrowly misses out on her third podium finish in the third slalom of the winter. Local hero Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates her 90th World Cup victory with two top runs.
Lena Dürr hung her head for a moment. This one big slip-up was too much, the best German slalom skier knew that immediately. A good minute later, when local hero Mikaela Shiffrin had clinched her 90th (!) World Cup victory to the cheers of thousands of her compatriots, Dürr was certain: she had missed out on the podium for the first time in the third slalom of the season - but only just.
The 32-year-old was 0.19 seconds off the podium in Killington in the US state of Vermont, where Shiffrin was joined by Olympic champion Petra Vlhova from Slovakia and Switzerland's Wendy Holdener. "The snow simply didn't forgive any mistakes," said Dürr. "All in all", however, she was "really happy again, even if it hurts for a moment".
"Cool performance"
Alpine boss Wolfgang Maier spoke of a "cool performance", but admitted that the podium "would have been possible". However, he was very satisfied with the start to the season for his rider, "that is completely out of the question". Second and third place in Levi in Finland, now fourth in the USA - "she is maintaining her high level of performance and has picked up where she left off last season," said Maier, praising the World Championship bronze medallist from Munich.
As runner-up in the first run, Dürr had her sights set on the top three on the "Superstar" slope when she went into the final. There she found a bumpy course and lacked the final consistency. She almost had to do the splits on the finish slope - and the podium was gone. After her, Shiffrin flew to her sixth victory in her seventh slalom "at home" not far from the school she once attended.
"I hope it was a good show"
"You guys were so loud - thank you! It kept my energy up, it was wonderful," exclaimed the ski queen to "her" audience. "It's wonderful to be able to do that. It was so intense because I really wanted it to be fun to watch. I hope it was a good show," she said - and the applause proved her right.
Shiffrin had already impressed in third place in the giant slalom on Saturday. However, she was unable to prevent Lara Gut-Behrami's second victory in the second race of the winter. The Swiss athlete is "currently not the best Lara in the giant slalom", as she reported, "because I have more trouble with a lot of things". Except for winning ski races, as her 39th victory proved.
Despite Lena Dürr's strong form in the Alpine skiing season, her slip-up during 'alpine skiing' on the "Superstar" slope prevented her from securing a third podium finish in the winter 'Winter sports' series. Mikaela Shiffrin, on the other hand, celebrated her 90th victory in 'Winter sports', showcasing her dominance in 'alpine skiing'.
Source: www.ntv.de
