World Ski Championships, Women's Slalom: Shiffrin Pips Hansdotter to Gold
"Comprehensive" might be the best word to describe Mikaela Shiffrin's gold-medal winning performance in the slalom at the World Ski Championships.
It simultaneously delivered on the hopes and expectations put on the hometown favourite at the Vail/Beaver Creek event and also ensured the American's extraordinary record in major events continued. At just 19 years old, she already owns an Olympic gold and two Worlds titles in the discipline (in addition to her ongoing World Cup excellence).
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As a participant in a thrilling second run climax which saw her rivals—including World Cup slalom leader Frida Hansdotter—raise the bar, Shiffrin also contributed to a fine day's skiing in its own right.
The winner's story
Still a teenager for a few more weeks, Shiffrin is naturally learning more about her craft with every passing competition. After finishing eighth on Thursday, she noted the work in progress that is her giant slalom skill set.
Beyond achieving an even greater level of consistency results-wise, when it comes to slalom, her future will mostly be a case of honing already impeccable aptitude and technique.
Shiffrin's first run in Beaver Creek emphasised the technique part. Second down, she put almost a second into the opening skier Tina Maze. Only the eventual silver and bronze medalists would get within half a second.
It was the two-time World Cup title winner's instincts and hard-learned intuition which came to the fore with the medal on the line later on.
By the first intermediate, Shiffrin had already lost her fractional advantage over the second run leader Hansdotter. She clawed back a hundredth by the next check, but, as far as the clock was concerned, it was still all to do.
The green light and jubilant cheers which greeted Shiffrin crossing the line confirmed her judgement from top to bottom. Careful not to get unwillingly maneuvered by the well-travelled line early on, she sufficiently let loose as the course flattened.
"I was saving energy for the last section, because I knew that a couple girls had struggled in the bottom, right onto the flats, and that's normally where I can carry my speed," Shiffrin confirmed to the International Ski Federation's (FIS) website. "That was my focus of the course. It's not always easy to charge the whole way."
Silver and bronze
Hansdotter raised her arms, but her reaction was comparatively muted compared to those who had previously taken the lead. She knew her name sitting in first place on the leaderboard might be short-lived. Shiffrin was still to come.
Gold was not to be, but the silver Hansdotter took was an upgrade on her bronze from the 2013 Schladming Worlds.
The Swede's performance was in keeping with the consistency which has led her to the top of the World Cup slalom table. She won in Flachau last month and has been on or just off of the podium all season in the discipline.
Shiffrin is hot on her tail, just 41 points behind. Yet, Hansdotter will surely be buoyed by the further evidence of her ability to compete with the young superstar.
Second on this occasion and second in the World Cup last season, perhaps she can make up the difference in the latter competition by next month.
Sarka Strachova allowed herself a slightly more exuberant celebration after she had taken first. Like Hansdotter, though, the Czech skier must have been aware the race was not over.
Nonetheless, in a journey which has taken her from Olympic and World Championships slalom medals (including gold in the latter in 2007) to a year recuperating from brain surgery and back again, she fully understood the need to enjoy the moment.
"Even though I have a bronze medal, it's almost for me a gold because I have worked so hard to get back on the top," Strachova told Reuters' Mark Lamport-Stokes, per Yahoo Sports.
"I had a really good feeling in training and I did some really good races in the World Cup, but I knew that it would be quite difficult to show this performance in the right moment, in these two minutes today. But I did it and I am really proud."
The target now will be to produce more World Cup performances akin to her second in Kuhtai, Tirol, Austria, from December, and moments akin to this one.
Host nation performances
Paula Moltzan gave the Beaver Creek crowd a compatriot performance to cheer when she took first place. Admittedly, she was the first to ski of the fastest 30, but the 20-year-old knowingly savoured the experience. By the end of proceedings she was a commendable 20th.
Hailey Duke, who, like Strachova, has battled her own health problems, finished eight places behind Moltzan. Megan McJames came 38th, while Resi Stiegler did not start the second run.
Most disappointed
A poor first run from Maria Pietilae-Holmner (Sweden) left her working to to reduce a two second-plus deficit. The winner of the World Cup slalom won bronze at the 2011 World Championships but was way behind in 14th this time.
Two Alpine skiing nation giants suffered a particularly disappointing afternoon. Nicole Hosp and Michaela Kirchgasser of Austria and Switzerland's Michelle Gisin and Wendy Holdener all skied out of the second run.
The disappointment continues for the Italian team. None of its entries could make the top 10.
Underdog tales
Veronika Velez Zuzulova (Slovakia) is an accomplished slalom skier, so she is not an underdog as such. But skiing from 10th, her combined time of 1:39.42 handed her the lead all the way until Strachova, and for a time suggested an upset might be in the cards.
Zuzulova was pumping her fists before she crash-rested into the safety barrier. After taking a moment to regroup, she resumed, much to the pleasure of her fans. Her individual leg time of 48.17 seconds was also faster than each of the eventual top three.
Further down, Charlotte Chable's lead-taking run ensured some cheers for the Swiss. The 20-year-old held it until Pietilae-Holmner replaced her.
There were also good efforts from Finland's Merle Soppela (21st) and Great Britain's Alexandra Tilley (24th).
Next up
The 2015 World Championships concludes with the men's slalom on Sunday.
World Championships results and leaderboard information confirmed via the FIS.
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