Shiffrin jumps to big lead after 1st run of slalom in Aspen

There was a momentary pang of disappointment, because she had led after the first of two runs by the imposing margin of 1.38 seconds.

The 20-year-old American finished in 1 minute, 40.18 seconds, beating Frida Hansdotter of Sweden by 2.65 seconds.

This was Shiffrin’s fifth straight World Cup slalom win dating to last season. One day after that, Shiffrin won again.

With the way things have been going for Shiffrin lately, that record may not stand much longer.

Reflecting on her dominant performance in Sunday’s first run, which saw her pull 1.69 seconds clear of Strachova, Shiffrin said: “Yesterday was such a big margin and I wondered what happened”. I had an advantage because yesterday my tactic worked.

The World’s best technical ski racers from 19 different nations had a chance to compete on the technical and steep slope of the Aspen Mountain for the second day in succession. “After the first run… if I was in their position I’d think there’s no way (to win)”.

“This morning, I woke up and was like, ‘They’re all playing a joke on me”. There is a target painted on me now. The previous record of three seconds was set in 1968. Her win marks the first time a woman has earned the top spot in Aspen for the U.S. Ski Team since 1981. What if they were just faking it and I wasn’t that fast?

She said she was very nervous at the start of the first run, the first World Cup slalom run of the season. “I’m looking forward to the next race”.

But don’t hand Shiffrin her fourth straight World Cup slalom title just yet. I had three great races, really. But it’s both challenging with the terrain and also with the snow.

For Strachova, who has won the slalom twice in Aspen (2008 and 2009), returning to the podium at a venue where she’s had previous success is a welcome start to her 2015-16 campaign. “It’s just the beginning of the season”.

“I thought that was a natural instinct?”

“Three great races, really”, said Shiffrin, who was carried off the slope on the shoulders of her teammates. She now has 17 victories in 72 World Cup races and has been on the podium 27. “She’s cool and she does every turn really exact”. It’s never happened to me in a race before. I just wasn’t satisfied, it wasn’t the way I’ve been training.

“It was awesome, actually”.

“Honestly, I didn’t see any of the other girls ski the second run, but I might have been the only person on the hill that didn’t give up today”, Shiffrin said. “I let it fuel me”.