Aicher claims maiden slalom victory
Victory in the opening slalom of the season went to Emma Aicher: After finishing third at the season opener in Sölden, the German all-rounder shone in the absence of Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) to take her maiden World Cup slalom win:
"It feels very good. It was fun. I hope I can take this skiing with me and keep working on it. I don't overthink, I just ski," said the winner in her characteristically matter-of-fact way.
Just like three weeks ago on the Rettenbach Glacier, Lara Colturi (+0.43) had to settle for second place once again. The Italian-born racer competing for Albania was nevertheless pleased with two podiums from the first two races: "This is naturally a good start. I know that I still have plenty of room to improve and work on. [...] I just need that little bit more self-confidence to make it happen."
Vlhova shows flashes of old form
Meanwhile, Petra Vlhova made her return to the World Cup with a performance that showed strong promise at times: After an enforced 1,008-day absence, the former overall World Cup champion finished in 16th place. The Slovakian, who set purple sector times in parts, has not lost her winning mentality: "I'm not completely satisfied, but I'm happy to be back in the Slalom World Cup," the 31-year-old explained.
The 31-year-old suffered a severe right knee injury (torn ACL and MCL) at her home race in Jasna in 2024 and had to sit out the previous two seasons. At the Olympic Games this year, however, she was already back at the starting gate in the team combined and the slalom.
