Shiffrin Attacks to a Podium in Flachau
FLACHAU, Austria (Jan. 13, 2014)—The women raced under the lights in Flachau, Austria for the last Audi FIS Ski World Cup slalom before the World Championships. Mikaela Shiffrin (Vail, CO) had a speedy second run, skiing from eighth place to grab third place overall. Frida Hansdotter from Sweden took the win and Slovenian Tina Maze finished second.
The crowd was huge, with 10,000 screaming fans cheering on the women. The course crew injected the hill on Thursday, but with rain and 1.5 feet of snow falling on top of it over the weekend, the grippy track grooved up quickly.
It was a tough race for many, with seven DNFs second run. Shiffrin overskied first run, and finished eighth—only .68 seconds behind Hansdotter—but was determined to hammer it second run. She followed up on her resolve, putting the pedal down to finish third on the second run, and third overall.
"I wish I had charged a little more in the first run, but I’m happy with the second run. I picked it up a notch," said Shiffrin. "Frida hammered the whole time. She even had a couple mistakes and made speed out of them. She deserved to win and I’m happy to be on the podium."
Shiffrin shreds to the podium, finishing behind Frida Hansdotter and Tina Maze. (Getty Images-AFP/Joe Klamar)
Paula Moltzan (Lakeville, MN)—who narrowly missed the flip in 37th place—and Hailey Duke (Boise, ID) did not qualify for a second run. Resi Stiegler (Jackson Hole, WY) had a small fall in training on Tuesday and has soreness in her right knee. She sat out the race and is resting.
This was the last tech World Cup before the Alpine FIS World Championships in February. The speed women race next on Friday, Jan. 16, 2014 in Cortina, Italy—a rescheduled downhill from Bad Kleinkirchheim, Austria,
HIGHLIGHTS
- Shiffrin is second in both the slalom and the overall World Cup titles. She sits behind her leaders today—Frida Hansdotter in the slalom and Tina Maze in the overall.
- Shiffrin has won Flachau twice before. Winner Frida Hansdotter finished second to Shiffrin in the 2014 race.
- Universal Sports will re-air the slalom on Tuesday, Jan. 13 at 8:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. EST.
QUOTES
Mikaela Shiffrin
It’s amazing here in Flachau—the atmosphere and everything. The audience is so excited to watch ski racing that it makes us all more excited.
I overskied a little bit the first run—I was a little tentative because the snow was soft. I have to go for it more. I think that this snow allows everyone to attack, but it makes it tougher—you make mistakes. I have to learn from my first run. When the conditions are soft, I have to have the confidence to go for it. I can’t take my foot off the gas and expect to win.
I wish I had charged a little more in the first run, but I’m happy with the second run. I picked it up a notch. Sometimes you get third, sometimes you win and sometimes you get 10th. It changes every race. Frida hammered the whole time. She even had a couple mistakes and made speed out of them. She deserved to win and I’m happy to be on the podium.
I’m really excited to go home and compete at World Champs. Normally the Americans don’t get to go home during the season. I’m feeling really good on my slalom skis right now and my GS skis, too. I think I have a shot at two medals. But as we saw today, sometimes I win and sometimes I don’t. It all boils down to how I ski on race day.
I’m really just skiing for myself right now. I mostly just get mad at myself when I don’t feel like I put my best effort out there. The second run was the best I could do for the conditions. The first run wasn’t. So I walk away with a bittersweet day. I’m growing up!
RESULTS
Official results
