Hensien Earns Personal Best in Kranjska Gora Slalom
Katie Hensien was the stand-out athlete for the Stifel U.S. Ski Team on Sunday in the Kranjska Gora slalom, earning her first top 15 in a slalom World Cup, finishing 12th.
Hensien started the day seeded in bib 36 and hung on to a top-30 finish in her first run to give her her first chance of scoring slalom points so far in 2024-25. Having not finished her first runs or not qualified for a second run in every slalom so far this season, Hensien blew her expectations for Sunday out of the water when she skied the fifth fastest run of the day in the second run, got some time in the leader's chair and ended the day with a personal best in the slalom.
Her second run was less than seven-tenths behind the day's winner, Croatia's Zrinka Lutjic, and half a second behind second-place finisher Switzerland's Wendy Holdener. In fact, she beat third-place finisher Anna Swenn-Larsson of Sweden in her second run.
"I've shown some fast skiing this season, and it's nice to put two together finally," said Hensien. "[My result] reassures me that I have been skiing fast all season, and it's nice to have that confidence now after an unlucky streak in the beginning. It shows that my speed has always been there, and I'm excited for what's to come."
Teammate AJ Hurt was the fastest American in the first run, squeezing into 11th wearing bib 27. She came into the second run guns-a-blazing and was leading the field by over a second as she skied into the third split and crossed the tips of her skis, causing her to ski out of the course and clock a DNF.
Paula Moltzan was the only other American to score points on Sunday, finishing 20th overall. Nina O'Brien did not qualify for a second run.
The next on the women's tech schedule is a night slalom in Flachau, Austria, on Jan. 14, 2025. In the meantime, the women's team will head back to the Stifel U.S. Ski Team headquarters in Toblach for training and squeeze in a few days at Kronplatz before the giant slalom there on Jan. 21. The women's speed team races next weekend in St. Anton, Austria.
RESULTS
Women's slalom
