Shiffrin third in GS as Vlhova cuts into overall lead

The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team on Friday issued the following press release on Mikaela Shiffrin of Edwards finishing third in a giant slalom in Are, Sweden, as Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova won by a wide margin and cut into Shiffrin’s overall World Cup lead:

Mikaela Shiffrin earned her 12th podium of the season, punching in at third under the lights in Are, Sweden on Friday. Shiffrin sat in sixth after her first run and was able to hang on throughout what she described as a “wild” course. As the night went on, spring-like skiing conditions became bumpier and more difficult to navigate. Sara Hector, who had the chance to clinch the giant slalom crystal globe, skied out near the top of the course on her second run. Michele Gisin and Tessa Worley suffered a few large mistakes that pushed them out of podium position. At the end of the race, Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova claimed first, 1.24 seconds ahead of Italy’s Marta Bassino in second, and Shiffrin, who moved up into third.

“I felt like my skiing [in the second run] had a bit more fire, and I had mostly hoped I wouldn’t move back a bit, so it’s quite incredible to have moved up a couple of places,” said Shiffrin.

Shiffrin’s podium finish allowed her to stay ahead of Vlhova in the race for the overall crystal globe, as well as in the mix of the top three in the giant slalom standings. Vlhova’s win decreased the overall margin a touch. The duo now sits 77 points apart in the standings. In Saturday’s slalom, Shiffrin will look to keep up the fight, knowing that both she and Vlhova have little recovery time before another day of racing on spring-like conditions.

Teammates Paula Moltzan and AJ Hurt also managed to conquer the bumpy conditions and complete both their first and second runs. Moltzan finished 22nd, and Hurt finished 23rd. 

The women have a quick turnaround headed into Saturday’s slalom, will in the morning start at 10:30 a.m. CET following Friday’s giant slalom night race. Shiffrin will continue to fight to stay on top of the Overall crystal globe standings in the final race prior to World Cup Finals in Courchevel, France, next week.

RESULTS
Women’s giant slalom

STANDINGS
Overall
Giant Slalom

HOW TO WATCH
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Saturday, March 12, 2022
2:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men’s Giant Slalom, run 1 – LIVE, Kranjska Gora, SLO, Streaming Peacock
3:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Slalom, run 1 – LIVE, Are, SWE, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
5:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men’s Giant Slalom, run 2 – LIVE, Kranjska Gora, SLO, Streaming Peacock
6:45 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Slalom, run 2 – LIVE, Are, SWE, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock

Sunday, March 13, 2022
3:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men’s Giant Slalom, run 1 – LIVE, Kranjska Gora, SLO, Streaming Peacock
6:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men’s Giant Slalom, run 2 – LIVE, Kranjska Gora, SLO, Streaming Peacock