LENZERHEIDE, Switzerland — Mikaela Shiffrin cried and left Tina Maze in tears. A thrilling climax to the World Cup slalom season delivered all its promised drama Saturday.
The victorious Shiffrin, the American teenage sensation of alpine skiing, fell to her knees when Maze couldn’t match her astonishing second run that wrapped up an improbable come-from-behind win.
After letting what seemed certain success slip away, the 29-year-old Slovenian — who had one of the best World Cup seasons ever — sobbed on the sideline as Shiffrin paraded with her crystal trophy.
“I started crying," said Shiffrin, laughing later at the memory. “I didn’t really mean to. I was thinking, ‘Come on woman, pull yourself together, it’s just a race.’ "
Hardly. It was a winner-take-all contest that Shiffrin must surely have lost after gifting Maze a massive 1.17 seconds lead in the morning’s first run.
Instead, Shiffrin scorched the sunbathed Swiss slope to set an unbeatable mark and overtake her great rival in the points race.
Shiffrin finished in a combined time of 1 minute, 55.60 seconds, with Bernadette Schild 0.20 behind in second. Maze trailed by 0.35.
— The Associated Press