Mont-Tremblant (Canada) (AFP) – New Zealand’s Alice Robinson bagged her second giant slalom victory of the season on Saturday at the alpine skiing World Cup meeting in Mont-Tremblant in Canada. A week after dominating the field on her way to victory at Copper Mountain in Colorado, the 24-year-old kiwi repeated the feat with a similarly commanding win in Quebec.
Robinson led the field after the first run and then extended her advantage in the second to finish 0.94 seconds ahead of Croatia’s Zrinka Ljutic, with Canada’s Valerie Grenier in third. “I was very tired; I just tried to hang on,” Robinson said after her victory. “The course was faster in the second run; it was colder, the snow had stopped falling, it was quite flat — you had to be tactically smart.”
Related news
The New Zealander now owns six World Cup victories, the first earned at just 17. Saturday’s win leaves Robinson on top of the discipline standings with 232 points, and she will have a chance to extend her lead with a second giant slalom on Sunday on the same course. Austria’s Julia Scheib is second on 180 points.
Elsewhere Saturday, US star Mikaela Shiffrin, who finished third after the opening run, eventually finished sixth, 1.65 seconds off the pace. Shiffrin appeared to be dealing with back pain at the finish. Though undefeated in slalom this season, Shiffrin is still searching for her best giant slalom form as she continues rebuilding after an abdominal injury.
Swedish Olympic champion Sara Hector meanwhile crashed out in the opening run. In the overall World Cup standings, Shiffrin remains in front, holding a 122-point lead over Albania’s Lara Colturi, who placed 23rd on Saturday. The season’s speed races have yet to begin; the first are scheduled for next week in St. Moritz, Switzerland.
© 2024 AFP
