(Soldeu, Andorra) Sweden’s Anna Swenn Larsson scored a second career victory on Sunday in the first World Cup slalom in almost 13 years where Mikaela Shiffrin and Petra Vlhova were absent.
The American star and her Slovak rival, whose captivating duels have dominated women’s slalom for years, are both out with knee injuries.
Shiffrin plans to return in the coming weeks, but Vlhova’s season is over. She tore ligaments in her right knee in January.
Shiffrin injured her left knee, without ligament damage, during a downhill in Italy 16 days ago.
In Soldeu, Swenn Larsson defended her first-run lead and beat Croatian Zrinka Ljutic by 0.35 seconds.
“It’s incredible,” said the Swede, who has persistent lower back problems. I am so proud of myself and my team, who worked very hard. »
Swenn Larsson shared a victory with Wendy Holdener in Killington, Vermont, in November 2022.
As of Sunday, only she and four other skiers had ever won a World Cup slalom.
“It’s a dream come true,” Larsson said. Although it was nice to share the victory with Wendy, it was special to be alone at the top. »
American Paula Moltzan finished third, 0.83 seconds behind the winner. She deserved her second career podium in slalom.
The last World Cup slalom in which neither Shiffrin nor Vlhova competed took place during the 2010–11 season finale in Switzerland on March 18, 2011.
Shiffrin has missed eight of 117 slaloms since. Vlhova and the American, who has the World Cup record with 58 slalom victories, have won 80 of those 117 events.
Shiffrin leads the season standings, having won five of nine slaloms.
If Shiffrin wins the discipline title again, she will tie the World Cup record held by Lindsey Vonn and Ingemar Stenmark, who have eight titles in a single discipline – Vonn in downhill, Stenmark in slalom and SG.
Toronto’s Ali Nullmeyer finished seventh, 12 places ahead of Laurence St-Germain of Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges.
The penultimate slalom of the season will take place in Are, Sweden, on March 10, a week before the World Cup finals begin in Austria.
The Women’s World Cup turns to Switzerland for three speed races in Crans-Montana, starting Friday.