Zagreb (AFP)

Only one skier can compete with the American Mikaela Shiffrin in slalom: it is the Slovak Petra Vlhova, victorious in Zagreb. For the rest, the competition was crushed as rarely on Saturday in Croatia and now seems light years away from the sovereign duo.

Mikaela Shiffrin remained on two victories (giant and slalom) in Lienz (Austria) at the end of December, and on a series of six World Cup successes between tight stakes. On Saturday, her best rival Petra Vlhova cut her momentum with a clear victory by a margin of one second and 31 hundredths, posting the best time of the two heats.

The Slovak, runner-up to the American in the general classification last winter, thus signs her 6th victory in slalom, the 11th in the World Cup.

And the competition has been crushed as rarely: the Austrian Katharina Liensberger, skier in shape (already 3rd in giant in Lienz at the end of December), finished 3rd Saturday at 3 seconds 49, an incredible gap in alpine skiing!

Another striking figure: only ten skiers lost less than five seconds on the Slovak in two runs ...

Mikaela Shiffrin and Petra Vlhova thus confirm their grip on the discipline. No World Cup slalom has been won by another skier since the victory of the Swedish Frida Hansdotter, now retired, three years ago in Flachau (Austria) in January 2017.

And only two other active skiers have already won the World Cup: the Norwegian Nina Haver-Loeseth (a victory in January 2016 at Santa Caterina Valfurva in Italy), relegated at 3 sec 79 on Saturday (6th) and the Canadian Erin Mielzynski (a victory in March 2012 at Ofterschwang in Germany), not qualified for the second round in Zagreb.

In the ranking of the slalom globe, Vlhova returns 120 points from Shiffrin, who largely dominates the general classification (313 points ahead of the Slovakian) and seems to spin towards a fourth big consecutive globe.

Of the three French women competing on Saturday (Joséphine Forni, Doriane Escané and Marie Lamure), none managed to climb into the second round.

The suspense should return Sunday for the men's slalom where the battle for the classification is tight between the French Alexis Pinturault, the Norwegian Henrik Kristoffersen, and the speed specialists (the first seven stand in less than 115 points).

© 2020 AFP