Lena Duerr has won today at Spindleruv Mlyn her first World Cup Slalom race after beating Mikaela Shiffrin by a mere 0.06 seconds. Third place went to Croatian Zrinka Ljutic.
Duerr set the second-fastest time in the first run and put down the second-fastest time in the second run to secure her first Slalom win.
It's her eighth podium in the World Cup, the fourth one in Slalom in the 2022-2023 World Cup season. She finished in second place yesterday, and in third place in Semmering on December and in Flachau on January 10.
Duerr won ten years to the day after her only World Cup success so far at the City Event in Moscow in 2013.
"It took a while before I got my first win. We knew it was possible but I never would have thought that it would work today. I gave everything, and it was enough", said Duerr.
The last time a German woman claimed a World Cup win in the slalom was more than 10 years ago, when Maria Höfl-Riesch won in Levi on 10 November 2012.
31-year-old Duerr is the oldest German woman to win a World Cup event (including East and West Germany). To this day, Viktoria Rebensburg had held the record since winning the Downhill in Garmisch-Partenkirchen on February 8, 2020 at the age of 30 years and 127 days.
Shiffrin's second place today means another record record for her after she has secured her seventh Slalom Crystal Globe.
In the overall World Cup standings, with 1697 points, the 27-year-old US skier has continue extending her clear lead.
"The last months have been crazy. It has been so many amazing races, so I do not expect to win every one. I didn’t expect to win ten already this season. So after yesterday and the first run today I felt amazing. The second run maybe I didn’t risk enough to earn the win but to get second and on the podium and secure the Slalom globe is amazing", said Shiffrin.
Zrinka Ljutic finished in third place 0.49 seconds behind Duerr. The 19-year-old stood on a World Cup podium for the first time in her career.
"I was not happy after yesterday. I was angry and frustrated because I know I can ski good but I made a stupid mistake. So I managed to focus today and trust it a bit more and it paid off", Ljutic said.