Flachau (Austria) (AFP)

After more than a year of scarcity in her favorite discipline, the American Mikaela Shiffrin again won a World Cup slalom on Tuesday in Flachau (Austria) despite fierce opposition.

In this night race, she beat the Austrian Katharina Liensberger by 19 / 100th and the Swiss Wendy Holdener by 43 / 100th.

The American, three-time winner of the big globe, thus puts an end to an unprecedented series for her of six losses between tight stakes since her last victory in December 2019 in Lienz (Austria).

She took the opportunity to sign at 25 years old only a 68th success in the World Cup and a 100th podium, a bar that only nine legends of alpine skiing have reached before her: Ingemar Stenmark (155), Marcel Hirscher, Lindsey Vonn (137), Annemarie Moser-Pröll (114), Renate Götschl (110), Vreni Schneider (101) and Marc Girardelli (100).

With a 44th victory in a World Cup slalom, she improves her absolute record in this discipline where she has won since she was 17 and which has greatly helped her to win three big crystal globes between 2017 and 2019.

But the time of its absolute domination seems over as the competition has increased.

Victorious in six of the last seven slaloms, the Slovakian Petra Vlhova this time failed in fourth place at 62 / 100th, but retains the lead in the general classification of the World Cup.

Ahead from the first run, Shiffrin was able to stay strong above all to resist the youth of Katharina Liensberger, the best time on the second track, who keeps improving.

The 23-year-old Austrian finishes a few hundredths from the victory for the third race in a row.

Above all, she has not left the podium in five slaloms this season.

The Swiss Wendy Holdener signed a 25th podium in slalom without ever having won.

Despite this record which she would do without, it rewards the good race of the Helvetians.

Michelle Gisin made a big mistake in the first set but managed to finish fifth and remains in second place overall, 124 points behind Vlhova.

Their young compatriot Camille Rast (21), back this season from a serious knee injury in March 2019, achieved the feat of the day by taking sixth place with the bib 54 (the best have the smallest bibs).

The French Nastasia Noens took 25th place.

The skiers now have an appointment in Kranjska Gora (Slovenia) for two giants on Saturday and Sunday.

© 2021 AFP