Finally!
In another way, body language cannot be interpreted. An emotionally uplifted Anna Swenn-Larsson hugged everything and everyone, with a constant smile on her face.
That’s how happy you get after the first podium of the season.
She has fought quite hard to reach where she thinks she should be – among the top three in the World Cup slalom competitions.
So far this season, she has gone bet. In Jasna, Slovakia, she struck with a third place behind the sovereign, the American Mikaela Shiffrin and the Croatian Zrinka Ljutic.
Swenn-Larsson was 81 hundredths behind Shiffrin, who took his 95th Alpine World Cup victory.
– It was not easy in others, the energy was gone. I knew that Zrinka had a very strong race, says Shiffrin, who was 14 hundredths ahead of Ljutic in the end.
Jubilantly happy
When she skidded into the goal area, Swenn-Larsson shouted out a “Yes!” and interacted with the audience.
Sara Hector also had the chance to reach the podium, but almost sat on her bum, lost her balance, lost a lot of time and plummeted down the leaderboard, to ninth place.
Mikaela Shiffrin, as so many times before, took command right away in the first race and led clearly, 52 hundredths ahead of Ljutic.
In the lead behind the podium, Hector lurked in fourth and Swenn-Larsson just behind his national team mate. However, the distance to Shiffrin was significant for the Swedes – 1.36 seconds and 1.38 seconds.
On Saturday, Hector won his first giant slalom competition since the Olympic gold in February two years ago. This week she came third in the slalom, her first podium in the discipline. Despite the miss – the form is good for the final months of the season.
Hanna Aronsson Elfman was the third Swede to qualify for the second round. The talent, back after an injury-plagued start to the season, climbed strongly in second and landed in 19th place.
Vlhova injured knee
Today’s sad news: Petra Vlhova misses the rest of the season due to the knee injury she sustained in Saturday’s giant slalom. The reigning Olympic gold medalist in slalom, crashed in the race won by Sara Hector and damaged the ligament.
– I will fight for the fastest possible comeback, says the 28-year-old according to SVT.
– I am so sorry for Petra, said Hector after the crash.
“Thank you for all the support. I am sure that I can handle this situation,” writes Vlhova in a statement.
HENRIK SKIÖLD/TT
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