KRANJSKA GORA – Mikaela Shiffrin still has work to do in the second run of a giant slalom when she turns 82.
Shiffrin was fifth after Saturday’s opening run, 0.31s behind surprise leader Valerie Grenier of Canada.
Shiffrin has won five races in a row in three disciplines – Super-G, giant slalom and slalom – but struggled with an open course on the first stage.
Reigning World Champion Lara Gut-Behrami was second, 0.04 behind Grenier, and Italian GS stars Federica Brignone and Marta Bassino finished third and fourth, 0.16 and 0.24 behind Grenier respectively.
Petra Vlhova, another top GS skier, finished sixth, just 0.05 behind Shiffrin.
Grenier’s best finishes in her 89 World Cup races to date have been fourth at that race last year and fourth at a Super-G in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy in 2019.
Should Shiffrin take the lead in heat two, she could overtake Vonn in another giant slalom on the same course scheduled for Sunday.
With seven wins already this season, Shiffrin is also fast approaching Ingemar Stenmark’s overall record – between men and women – of 86 wins.
Vonn retired four years ago when injuries ended her quest for Stenmark’s record.
While hardly any American fans lined the Podkoren 3 course near the Italian border, many spectators waved Slovenian and Slovakian flags.
The top section was foggy but visibility improved the rest of the way down and snow conditions were decent.
Nina O’Brien, another US racer, fell midway but did not appear to be seriously injured.
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Andrew Dampf can be reached at https://twitter.com/AndrewDampf
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