Liensberger overtakes Shiffrin to end 6-year Austrian drought
ÅRE, Sweden – Katharina Liensberger ended Austria’s six-year wait for a women’s World Cup slalom victory on Saturday.
In the last race before the World Cup Finals, Liensberger overtook first-run leader Mikaela Shiffrin with a free-flowing final run, beating the American by 0.72 seconds.
“I felt like flying, it was a flight from top to bottom,” Liensberger said. “I just gave it all. That’s really amazing. If there’s something you love and you put all your energy in it, you can really achieve it.”
Shiffrin, who turned 26 on Saturday, was chasing her 70th career win. She led Liensberger by 0.19 after the opening run, but had lost her advantage by the second split of her final run.