REDSTER STARSHIP: MIKAELA AND MARCEL CONTINUE ON TOP

After the season races 15 to 17, both Atomic stars still lead the overall World Cup rating: Mikaela leads with 305 points after her 27th World Cup victory, Marcel is now 299 points ahead after Zagreb and Adelboden. It was another stellar race weekend.

"This race is one of the five best performances I've ever seen from Marcel and I've seen them all. Unbelievable how he stole almost seven tenths from Pinturault in top form. The fact that in the end four hundredths were missing for the victory is a pity, but does not diminish the performance", summarizes Atomic Race Manager Christian Höflehner. The next day, Marcel Hirscher fired the turbo in the fog slalom of Adelboden (half-time he was "only" sixth despite zero visibility). He won third place - podium number 101, 10th this winter and his 12th in Adelboden.

MIKAELA SHIFFRIN PROVES HER ENDURANCE AT "POLE DANCE"

At the Pohorje near Marburg, Mikaela Shiffrin was really unimpressed by her Zagreb outcome, the first slalom in 1468 days. After fourth place in the GS, she secured her 24th win in her 48th World Cup Giant Slalom. Victory ratio in her last 14 slalom starts: 92.9 percent. In Marburg, Mikaela garnished the Shiffrin slalom show with a "Pole Dance" insert: instead of slipping on a broken tipping pole under her skis (a classic failure in slalom), she danced around two gates in spite of the disturbing plastic part and skied over it as though being unaware of it. "In the slow-motion, you can see how she instinctively doesn’t load the ski under which the goal post is – a reflex only she has", says Christian Höflehner. The Atomic serial victor herself is less impressed: "I know I can ski cleaner and faster."

RACE DIRECTOR HÖFLEHNER: "SOFIA IS A BLESSING FOR THE SKI SPORT!"

Sofia Goggia won the fourth podium of this race weekend with a second place in the Giant Slalom. The 24-year-old Italian thus holds seven top-three placements this winter. "Sofia is a cool place. And a blessing for skiing. Even after three breakdowns in series, she went to the limit - her courage impresses", says Race Director Höflehner about her and also about his slalom athletes: Manuel Feller secured rank 7 after his half-time lead in Adelboden, Korea's Jung Dong-Hyun and Marc Rochat (SUI) carved as their 14th and 20th respectively to the best performances of their career. Next future stock: Mark Engel, who surprised as a half-time third in Zagreb and is one of the fastest turners in the Slalom World Cup.

For the Redster women, the World Cup in Flachau (Slalom on Tuesday) and Altenmarkt (downhill / combination on the weekend) will continue, the men will ski the classics in Wengen with combination Friday, downhill (Saturday) and Slalom (Sunday).

#weareskiing