Ritchie earns inaugural national title in Aspen
Steven Kornreich - U.S. Ski Team
Under the sunshine at Aspen Highlands, U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete and 2021 World Junior Slalom Champion Ben Ritchie emerged victorious at the slalom kickoff of the U.S. Alpine Championships. Middlebury College’s Erik Arvidsson was second, and Garret Driller rounded out the podium in third.
Due to the forecasted warm weather, organizers made the decision to move the program up, with an early 7:30 a.m. first run start. The decision proved to be a good move, as the sun burned through the clouds at the end of the second run, roasting the surface. The course crew did a great job with the conditions considering the temperatures, and the surface was surprisingly solid and skiable.
Shiffrin bumped to third in GS as Vlhova wins in Jasna
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Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova returned the favor on Sunday, knocking Mikaela Shiffrin of Edwards down to third in Sunday’s giant slalom on Vlhova’s home snow in Jasna, Slovakia. A day earlier, Shiffrin had bumped Vlhova for the slalom win.
Shiffrin was leading Sunday’s GS after the first run but was knocked down to the third and final step of the podium by both Vlhova’s stellar second run for the win and a mind-blowing second run by Alice Robinson of New Zealand for second.
Edwards’ Mikaela Shiffrin with four Worlds medals (Getty Images).
Austria’s Katharina Liensberger dominated the women’s slalom at the World Alpine Ski Championships in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on Saturday, beating Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova by a full second and Edwards’ Mikaela Shiffrin by nearly two seconds.
Shiffrin was trying to extend her record of four straight World Championship slalom gold medals, including her win in 2015 at the Worlds in Beaver Creek, but will settle for the bronze to go with her other three medals over the last two weeks in Cortina.
Shiffrin also claimed gold in the alpine combined, silver in the giant slalom and bronze in the super-G to extend her American record to 11 total World Championship medals.
Shiffrin fourth in final GS before Worlds January 26, 2021, 10:56 am
Mikaela Shiffrin of Edwards finished just off the podium in fourth Tuesday in Kronplatz, Italy, in the final giant slalom before the World Championships in Cortina next month. Here’s the press release from the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team:
In the final FIS Ski World Cup giant slalom before the 2021 FIS World Championships, two-time Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin snagged fourth place in Kronplatz, Italy.
Mikaela Shiffrin
Tessa Worley, whose longtime boyfriend Julien Lizeroux will retire this evening at Schladming, Austria’s Night Race, put on a show second run, hammering from fifth place to take the big win. Lara Gut-Behrami was second her third podium in four races in three different disciplines and World Cup giant slalom leader Marta Bassino rounded out the podium in third.
Shiffrin third in Semmering
Mikaela Shiffrin of Edwards, right, celebrates with Michelle Gisin (Getty Images).
Mikaela Shiffrin of Edwards was third in a night slalom in Semmering, Austria on Tuesday. Here’s the press release from the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team:
It was a banner day to finish out 2020 with Mikaela Shiffrin taking third place in the FIS Alpine World Cup slalom in Semmering, Austria, and Nina O’Brien finishing in ninth her first top-10 result in her career.
Under the lights, Michelle Gisin of Switzerland had a heroic second run to win her first-ever World Cup race and become the first woman besides Mikaela or Petra Vlhova in