Shiffrin 12th in Courchevel Slalom
COURCHEVEL, France (Dec. 17) - World Champion Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, CO) skied to an uncharacteristic 12th in Tuesday's Audi FIS Alpine World Cup slalom as Austrian Marlies Schild earned the 34th slalom victory of her storied career. The victory ties Schild with Swiss great Vreni Schneider for the most slalom wins in women's World Cup history. While it's still early in the 2014 World Cup season, Shiffrin retained the slalom lead despite the conservative finish and Resi Stiegler (Jackson Hole, WY) earned her first points of the winter with 21st.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Levi, Finland World Cup winner Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, CO) finished 12th Tuesday in Courchevel, yet retained the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup slalom points lead.
- Austrian Marlies Schild, who Shiffrin has always looked up to, won the race for a record 34th World Cup slalom win, tying her with Swiss great Vreni Schneider atop the record list.
- Schild, 32, also became the oldest women to win a World Cup slalom.
- Swede Frida Hansdotter was second followed by Schild's younger sister Bernadette with third. Resi Stiegler (Jackson Hole, WY) was 21st for her first World Cup points this season.
- Seventh after the opening run, where she started first, Shiffrin couldn't find the speed under a bluebird French sky and dropped a few more spots in the final.
- The race will rebroadcast at 2:30 p.m. ET on Universal Sports Network.
- The women's World Cup Tour now moves to nearby Val d'Isere for a downhill and giant slalom. Four-time overall champion Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) is expected to start the downhill.
QUOTES
Mikaela Shiffrin
Not my best day. I didn’t have a great feeling. I was just a bit nervous. Sometimes I don’t get that great feeling I want in the morning. I thought I had that today but it didn’t go that way.
I think I needed that today. I don't think it's good to win everything (because) then I just become complacent. So I need to know that Marlies is back. That's the coolest thing for me because it's nice to know I'm not the Snow Queen.
For her [Schild] it wasn't even that impressive. That's saying something. She's an amazing skier and I kept saying that I thought she was the best slalom skier. I don't think I own that title, I think she owns it.
Resi Stiegler
I'm happy for some points, but I'm ready for some more. The snow was awesome actually and I feel like we've been really lucky this year with snow. It was perfect from where I started. I needed the confidence because I've just been a bit nervous with the beginning of the year and also from not qualifying in Levi.
I'm going to ski in Val d'Isere and then focus on the Lienz slalom. I want to make sure I priortize in the right places. We only have two more GS races and then it's pretty much all slalom.
Roland Pfeifer, women's technical Head Coach
Mikaela wasn't able to get the battery charged and that happens. She really had a bad day today and that's probably not the last time that's going to happen. We just need to accept that the other athletes were skiing better today. There were just better skiers on the hill today.
RESULTS
Official Results
