Alpine skiing | Mikaela Shiffrin still has the best of Petra Vlhova

The logic was respected on Tuesday morning during the women’s giant slalom in Semmering, Austria. The three best giantists on the planet made it to the podium and the narrative of the start of the season was somewhat repeated. Mikaela Shiffrin got the better of Petra Vlhova again, powerless against the domination of her rival.

From the first run, Mikaela Shiffrin set her pace. On the Austrian short track, the American sent a clear message to her competitors: she will be the woman to beat during this sequence of three races in three days.

“Starting a racing streak like this is always a little stressful. You want to be in good physical condition and start with pace,” she revealed after the race.

First overall, Shiffrin completed the first run in 1:05.49. A comfortable lead of more than seven tenths of a second over her closest pursuers. A very different start than that of the last giant event disputed in Sestriere, Italy, more than two weeks ago.

The conditions were sublime and Shiffrin made the most of it. The second round was also the affair of the 27-year-old skier. More relaxed and less aggressive than in the first round, she still found a way to maintain her priority.

This new way of approaching her races and protecting her lead has been observed in some of her rivals. Indeed, even if she is still inhabited by this desire to win and the intensity that allowed her to become the best skier of her generation, Shiffrin approaches her races with more relaxation. As if she were more serene with the eventual outcome of her race, whatever it was.

This new approach seems to be working, as even though she set the fifth fastest time in the second run, she finished 13 hundredths of a second ahead of Vlhova.

“I felt really good today. I pushed on the second run, which was a bit tougher, but I felt my skis go fast. I really enjoyed skiing here,” added Shiffrin.

This is his fourth win of the season, his 78^e in career. Still at the top of the general classification with a considerable lead of more than 200 points over speed specialist Sofia Goggia. The American competes in an inspired way. His dominance is similar to that of the 2017, 2018, and 2019 seasons, his three best on the circuit.

Petra Vlhova unable to win

Petra Vlhova’s troubles continued on Tuesday morning. After nine races this season, the Slovak is still looking for her first victory.

This is her worst start to the season since 2017. The defending champion of the small crystal globe in slalom is however doing things well.

At Semmering, she posted the second fastest time in the first run and the best in the second. She cut each of her turns well, she made no mistakes and her skis were anchored throughout the second run in the Austrian snow, like the wheels of a small electric train in their plastic rails under the Christmas tree.

This is the fifth time this season that she has been on the podium without winning. This bad streak must start to weigh on his shoulders. When Shiffrin crossed the finish line, it was a long time before Vlhova hugged her to congratulate her. Quite unusual behavior.

She still maintains her third place in the general classification and her second position in the giant slalom classification.

Valerie Grenier disqualified

Valérie Grenier had one of her best career runs. She set the fourth fastest time in the first run. All hopes were allowed. She finally had a real chance to fight for her first career podium. She was only four hundredths behind Vlhova and three hundredths behind Tessa Worley in third place.

However, to make matters worse for the Mont-Tremblant skier, the officials disqualified her because of a false start. Under the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) False Start Rule 613.7, “The start is valid if it is made within these limits: five seconds before or five seconds after the official start time. A competitor who does not start within this interval will be disqualified. »

Grenier was therefore unable to express himself fully. This race would no doubt have improved his morale, as his start to the season is rather bumpy. She has completed only two of her five races. His best result is an excellent 12^e position to the giant of Sestriere.