KRANJSKA GORA, Slovenia — Croatian skier Zrinka Ljutic celebrated consecutive victories in the women’s slalom at the World Cup, taking the top spot in the rankings on Sunday.
The 20-year-old athlete captured her first title at Semmering, Austria, just a week earlier, and confidently followed up with another win in Kranjska Gora. Ljutic matched Wendy Holdener’s time in the first run, but managed to outpace the Swiss skier by 0.16 seconds in the second.
“I didn’t know how well Wendy skied,” Ljutic commented. “I was focused on my own strategy. I set the tempo and envisioned the run in my mind. I did my best to stick to that plan, and it paid off, which is an even better feeling.”
Sweden’s Anna Swenn-Larsson secured third place, finishing 1.19 seconds behind Ljutic.
With Mikaela Shiffrin, a prominent competitor, sidelined due to injury, Ljutic took the lead in the discipline with 309 points, four ahead of Camille Rast, who came in fourth, 1.36 seconds behind the winner. Rast continued her impressive streak, remaining in the top five for all slalom competitions this season, having claimed her first World Cup race victory in Killington on December 1.
In the overall standings, Ljutic is also in first place, amassing 456 points, nine ahead of Sweden’s Sara Hector, who finished sixth after winning the giant slalom the previous day.
Set to turn 21 later this month, Ljutic revealed that her recent triumph significantly motivated her performance.
“After achieving such a great result in Semmering, my desire to replicate that success increased, and I felt strong and in control,” she shared. “However, I knew I couldn’t just focus on winning. I needed to concentrate on executing my strategy, and that ultimately led to my success. I feel thankful.”
Meanwhile, defending champion Shiffrin, who won the first two slalom races of the season, is currently recuperating from surgery to repair a deep abdominal injury she sustained during a giant slalom crash in Killington on November 30.
In Shiffrin’s absence, Katie Hensien was the top American competitor, finishing in 12th place.
