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≡ FIS ALPINE WORLD CUP ≡
U.S. star Mikaela Shiffrin was in position to win her 100th FIS Alpine World Cup race at Saturday’s Giant Slalom in Killington, Vermont, and had an impressive 0.32 lead on the field after the first run.
American Paula Moltzan took the lead on the second run, starting in 25th position, at 1:54.57, but was passed immediately by Zrinka Ljutic (CRO), with the fastest second run so far at 57.00 and a 1:53.62 total.
Next up was Camille Rast (SUI), who posted a 57.60 to move into second at 1:54.13, moving Moltzan to third. No. 28 on the start list was Norway’s Thea Louise Stjernesund, third after the first run, and she skied smoothly into third at 1:54.14.
Now came Sweden’s Sara Hector, who was 0.32 seconds behind Shiffrin after the first run, and she rolled down the hill in 56.98, best so far in the second run and took the lead at 1:53.08 – by 0.54 – and giving Shiffrin a considerable challenge.
Then came the first-run leader, with Shiffrin looking for history.
Shiffrin was flying down the hill, up on the field by 0.20 after the first split, and 0.17 after the second split, but she fell about two-thirds of the way down the course, she rolled into the safety netting at the side of the course.
That left Hector as the winner with her sixth career Giant Slalom gold in 1:53.08, then Ljutic in 1:53.62 and Rast at 1:54.13. Moltzan finished fifth in 1:54.57 and fellow American Nina O’Brien (1:54.81) was sixth.
No immediate word on Shiffrin’s condition; the women’s Slalom comes on Sunday, with Shiffrin – if healthy – favored to get that 100th World Cup win.
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