(Reuters) – Mikaela Shiffrin wrapped up her injury-marred season by winning the slalom at the Women’s World Cup Finals in Sun Valley on Thursday for a record-extending 101st career World Cup win.
Shiffrin was out of the running to defend her slalom World Cup title, which she has won eight times, after two months out recovering from a giant slalom fall in November, but the 30-year-old ended as she began the season.
The American posted the fastest time on the first run, 0.59 seconds ahead of Germany’s Lena Duerr, and third best in the second run was enough for Shiffrin to take the win with an overall gap of 1.13 seconds over Duerr.
Shiffrin broke Ingemar Stenmark’s Alpine skiing World Cup podium record with her 156th top-three placing in Are, Sweden, earlier this month, and earned her 100th victory in Sestriere in February.
Zrinka Ljutic of Croatia took her first crystal globe by winning the slalom discipline, with 10th place in the final race enough for the 21-year-old to claim victory, 32 points ahead of Austria’s Katharina Liensberger.
“I got it, it’s mine,” a jubilant Ljutic said.
“I sort of knew I would win it, I just didn’t know how, and that made me nervous.”
Shiffrin, who began the season by winning the opening two slalom races, ended up with fourth place in the discipline standings, despite missing four races.
(Reporting by Trevor Stynes; Editing by Toby Davis)
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