Second place in Levi

Ladies’ slalom in Levi from 10 a.m. LIVE

Winner Mikaela Shiffrin (center), second-placed Katharina Liensberger and third-placed Lena Duerr

(Bild: AP)

Once again Katharina Liensberger got off to a good start in the slalom at the Winter Wonderland in Levi. The racer from Vorarlberg finished second (+0.79 sec.) on Saturday in Finland, just like last year. The victory went in superior style to Mikaela Shiffrin, who now has 98 World Cup victories after her eighth Levi win.

Liensberger finished fourth at the halfway point, catching Zrinka Ljutic (7th) and Lena Dürr (3rd/+0.83).

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Ingenious and mystical
"Really brilliant," said Liensberger in an initial reaction on ORF. "It's so nice to ski here in Levi. It really is a successful start to the season." Liensberger has now achieved four, i.e. a quarter of her 16 podium places on the "Levi Black". The northern lights, reindeer, wolfhounds and the family atmosphere around the Lapland race suit her. "It's mystical", said Liensberger after the first run, in which she kept up with the world's best in fourth place despite problems in the slippery steep section.

In the floodlit final, she set the time in the steep slope with a precise skiing style. It remains to be seen whether the 2021 slalom world champion's result will remain a runaway success. Last season, after finishing third in Levi, she did not make it onto the World Cup podium again.

Rest of the ÖSV team weak
Levi was not worth the trip for the rest of the ÖSV team. Katharina Gallhuber, who finished 14th at the halfway point, struggled to stay on course and was relegated to last place (25th). Head coach Roland Assinger attested Katharina Huber and Katharina Truppe "too much handbrake" in the first half. The duo then failed to make a push from midfield, as the German Emma Aicher did, for example. Huber retired and was lucky that the binding was released. Truppe finished 19th (+2.98). "The performance is beyond good and evil. I skied down like a pencil", Truppe lamented after a "reach into the toilet".

Gritsch not in the final
Franziska Gritsch (34th/+3.00) from Tyrol, who trains outside the ÖSV structures, failed to qualify for the final. Her compatriots Natalie Falch (49th), Maja Waroschitz (54th), debutant Kathrin Stock (59th) and Lisa Hörhager (out) also fell by the wayside in the first run as the snowfall intensified.

Shiffrin top
Shiffrin took advantage of the absence of her fiercest rival Petra Vlhova due to injury and reacted to the surprising drop from Sölden (from one to five) in the style of a champion. Ahead of the slalom in Ötztal Gurgl next Saturday, the 29-year-old, who first won in Levi eleven (!) years ago, now has 61 successes in her showpiece discipline.

Winner Mikaela Shiffrin

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

The result:

More information coming soon!