The first run of the Women’s World Cup Slalom was held on Saturday, December 14th in Are, Sweden. The competition was fierce, as the world’s best female skiers competed for the top spot. The current overall World Cup leader, Mikaela Shiffrin, was the favorite to win the event. However, she was closely followed by Petra Vlhova of Slovakia.
In the end, Vlhova was able to edge out Shiffrin by 0.09 seconds to take the top spot. This was Vlhova’s first World Cup victory of the season, and her second career victory in slalom. She had previously won a slalom event in Flachau, Austria in January of 2019.
Shiffrin finished in second place, but still leads the overall World Cup standings with 590 points. Vlhova is now in second place with 476 points. This is a significant jump from her previous position of fifth place with only 320 points.
The two skiers have been rivals since last season, when Shiffrin won the overall World Cup title for the fourth time in a row. Vlhova finished in second place in the overall standings last season, and has been determined to challenge Shiffrin for the title this season.
The next Women’s World Cup Slalom event will be held on December 21st in Courchevel, France. It will be interesting to see if Vlhova can continue her winning streak and challenge Shiffrin for the overall title. Regardless of who wins, it is sure to be an exciting competition!
