MIKAELA: HER REDSTER DEMO ON CHILDHOOD SNOW

Mikaela Shiffrin is a winner. A second place, like in Levi recently, a reason for others to celebrate, she takes really personally. But in Killington she managed to restore the usual slalom world order again: leading by 1.64 seconds, the greatest lead since St. Moritz in 2016, fastest time in both runs and the fastest in all four sections in the first run. “I haven’t felt this good for such a long time” Mikaela beamed after both the home races (in giant slalom she came second).

Atomic Race Manager Christian Höflehner was pleased with his sure bet for victory too: ”Mikaela was more active, more aggressive than last time. Levi was a hint for her to sharpen her risk management again. Even skiing more aggressively she was still tremendously confident.” The 21st podium in her last 22 World Cup slaloms has provided her with an encouraging interim result before the speed challenge in Lake Louise, which she’ll tackle full of anticipation with: 4 races, 305 points and was able to defend her red bib sovereignly too.

Second Atomic highlight in Vermont: Katharina Gallhuber (20), who skied in her best career result to-date with 7th place in slalom. Höflehner: “Impressive that she didn’t hold anything back in the final.”

THE FRANZ FORMULA: LONGER = FASTER

The Redster reckoning of one podium per race brought about the desired result again in Killington and nearly in Lake Louise too. At the start of his mission to get the downhill crystal globe (it would have been his third in a row) Peter Fill only needed two tenths of a second to get on the podium (so came in 4^th place). Max Franz however added the split times to his best career result in super G and came in second, even though he wasn’t helped by the weather. “I like Lake Louise however I was still unsure on the run, whether my run was fast or not. The lower part, where you also need really good equipment, I did really well on."

The ladies moving up to Lake Louise and the men’s World Cup train is now heading to Colorado with not much snow, for a Super-G, Downhill and Giant Slalom in Beaver Creek (with Marcel Hirscher).

#weareskiing #redster