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≡ WORLD ALPINE CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡
The pairing of the new Downhill World Champion and the greatest Slalom racer in history proved to be as good as gold at the FIS World Alpine Championships in Saalbach (AUT).
The women’s Team Combined, a new event, paired the Downhill with the Slalom and the U.S. pair of Breezy Johnson and Mikaela Shiffrin made it work, with a clear, 2:40.89 victory.
The Downhill was first, with fellow American Lauren Macuga recording the best time of 1:41.60, trailed by Emma Aicher (GER: 1:41.83), Downhill silver winner Mirjam Puchner (AUT: 1:41.88) and Johnson (1:42.11).
The other Americans included Jackie Wiles in 15th at 1:43.60 and Lindsey Vonn in 21st (1:44.11).
The Slalom was run in reverse order of the Downhill standings, with the powerful Swiss team of two-time World Cup seasonal champion Lara Gut-Behrami – only 12th in the Downhill – and two-time Olympic Slalom medalist Wendy Holdener holding the lead at the break at 2:41.28 before the final eight skiers started.
And it looked like the Swiss might come from 12th to first. Austria’s Stephanie Venier – the Super-G winner – was only seventh in the Downhill, but Katharina Truppe put down a fast Slalom run to get close at 2:41.42, but in second place.
There was no improvement from the next two teams and that brought Shiffrin to the starting gate for her first race of these Championships. She was equal to the task and brought the U.S. into the lead at 2:40.89, with the third-fastest Slalom of the day so far.
Three more left, with Katharina Liensberger recording only the 13th-fastest Slalom and she and Puchner were at 2:41.58 and out of the medals. Germany’s Lena Duerr also had trouble, finishing 20th in the Slalom and she and Aicher ended up 17th (2:45.12).
That left Moltzan as the last skier, after Macuga’s leading performance in the Downhill. But Moltzan recorded the no. 15 Slalom at 59.93 and their combined total of 2:41.53 left them in fourth, 0.11 seconds from the bronze medal.
Holdener finished with the fastest Slalom to pull her and Gut-Behrami to the silver and Venier and Truppe third. Americans Wiles and Katie Hensien finished 10th (2:42.44) and Vonn and AJ Hurt were 16th (2:43.87).
It’s the second medal of these championships for Johnson, but for Shiffrin, it was more history. With the victory, it’s her eighth Worlds gold and 15th medal overall (8-4-3), tying her with German Christi Cranz, who won 15 from 1934-39. Cranz won 12 golds and three silvers; Shiffrin is 29 and has a chance for another medal in the Slalom at the end of the week.
The men’s Team Combined comes on Wednesday and then the Giant Slaloms and Slalom through Sunday.
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