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The podium celebration at Saturday’s World Cup giant slalom race in Killington was one of the more subdued in recent memory.
Sweden’s winner, Sara Hector, as well as runner-up Zrinka Ljutic of Croatia and bronze medalist Camille Rast of Switzerland — held straight faces as the music played. The crowd politely applauded.
Just moments before, they’d been holding their breath.
After racing to a 0.32-second first-run lead over Hector, Mikaela Shiffrin stepped into the gate as the day’s final racer, poised to claim her 100th-career World Cup win in front of a home audience. But the 29-year-old lost control in the third sector. She slipped onto her inside hip during a right turn and crashed through the next gate, losing a ski before sliding to rest in the netting along the outer edge of the course. Shiffrin remained on the ground for several minutes as safety personnel rushed to check her status. She was taken down in a sled, waving to the crowd.
After the race, Shiffrin shared on Instagram a video of her hip being treated. “Not really too much cause for concern at this point,” she said. “I just can’t move, I have a pretty good abrasion.” She wrote that she will be “cheering from the sideline” on Sunday’s slalom race.
It was a harsh conclusion to a day which started well for the all-time winningest Alpine skier. Shiffrin — who has won six of seven slaloms held in Killington but never a giant slalom at the Vermont venue — said her first run was the best GS run she’s ever skied on the Superstar slope.
“Very satisfied with the first run,” Shiffrin told media after the morning session. “I can always be more aggressive, always. Everybody feels that. But I felt smooth and clean and so many of the things that I was hoping to feel. I’m excited for the opportunity on the second (run) to give it another go.”
Clouds, wind and cold temperatures made for icy conditions in the afternoon.
“To me, I was a bit surprised how much darker it was when I got in the pitch,” Ljutic said of the conditions. “I usually feel really good on this icy snow and in my head I tried to connect even more in the second run.”
Shiffrin’s American teammates, Paula Moltzan and Nina O’Brien, also thrived, finishing fifth and sixth, respectively. O’Brien moved up four places on her second run. Hector — the reigning Olympic GS champion — even flashed a smile at the top of the pitch, embraced the steep start and skied aggressively through the middle rollers right down the final pitch and into the lead.
“I am so proud of myself, it’s amazing. I just tried to really enjoy it, have fun. I wanted to remember that I really love to do this,” Hector told FIS media. “It’s really, really cool to get to feel these emotions again.”
By contrast, Shiffrin’s skiing appeared stiff in the early going. She lost 0.12 in the first sector and another 0.03 in the second before crashing in the third. In addition to her pursuit of the century mark, Shiffrin could have tied Ingemar Stenmark for the most World Cup podiums (155) had she been able to finish in the top three.
“Congratulations to the winners and my teammates for incredible performances,” Shiffrin stated.
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