Almost: .02 Short for Shiffrin

ARE, Sweden (Dec. 13, 2014) - Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, CO) had a strong second run in the slalom, but fell two-hundredths short of the podium as Sweden's Maria Pietilae-Holmner brought the home country crowd to its feet with a stunning win over Tina Maze in an Audi FIS Ski World Cup slalom in Are. Sweden's Frida Hansdotter rounded out the podium.

Sixth after the first run and over a half second back, Shiffrin felt good in the starting gate and pushed out to an aggressive, more characteristic run to take the lead. She hammered the top, held back a little in the mid-section, and let her skis run at the bottom, but the .53 second deficit was too much to match. She finished .34 seconds out of first, overall.

But, Shiffrin is feeling confident and knows the rest of the girls are all within striking distance. "It's a really tough field. With World Championships coming up, everyone is gunning for the podium. I'm trying to do the same," said Shiffrin. "I have to learn to have a fighting spirit, not just a winning spirit."

Resi Stiegler (Jackson Hole, WY) snagged her third top 20 this season. After holding back and finishing 24th in the first run, she attacked the second, grabbing 17th place overall.

Paula Moltzan (Lakeville, MN) barely missed the flip, while Hailey Duke (Boise, ID) is skiing better, but skied out of the top 30 first run, as well.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Mikaela Shiffrin remained fourth in the overall Audi FIS Ski World Cup standings.
• Frida Hansdotter leads the slalom standings with 220 points; Shiffrin is sixth, 101 points back.
• Resi Stiegler is 14th in the slalom standings, with points in each of the three World Cups this season.
• The women's speed team with Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) will be back in action next weekend in Val d'Isere, France.

QUOTES
Mikaela Shiffrin
The podium wasn't meant to happen today and neither was the win, but I'm getting closer. .02 is a little painful—it would have been nicer to be on the podium in third place, but I'm feeling more and more confident with my skiing. My second run was the first time this year in a slalom where I got in the gate and thought, 'I can do this!' That's a huge step.I'm a little bit uncertain right now. I know my slalom skiing is good, especially in training. I've been feeling a lot better recently, but it's about getting into the start gate of a race and feeling sure that I can ski fast. I'm getting closer.

I have to learn how to come back. My first three or four years in the World Cup has been pretty smooth—lots of winning and perfect equipment, perfect everything. I'm learning how to fight through some bumps in the road. I have to stay positive. I've always been positive because I've been on top. 

All the races besides Levi have been top 10s, so it's not that bad! I'm just trying to remember how much I love to win, but also how much I love to ski fast. I can't worry about the win when I'm skiing. 

To have our first U.S. sweep [in Lake Louise] was incredible. And to have Lindsey [Vonn] back on top is so exciting. We're just trying to take that momentum and lift each other up. 

RESULTS
Official Results