Sunshine and calm winds, a great atmosphere and fantastic performances from both athletes and those working behind the scenes summed up the World Cup weekend in Åre. “We can proudly look back on a very successful competition weekend,” says Olle Danielsson Klippinge.
Despite warm temperatures and a minor storm in the days leading up to the event, fantastic work from volunteers and race organisers ensured that both the arena and the slope were in top condition ahead of the first start on Saturday.
Scheib Secured the Title
Julia Scheib’s fantastic season continued in Saturday’s giant slalom, where she was in second place in the first run behind leader Camille Rast. After a mistake from American skiing star Mikaela Shiffrin and an unusual DNF for Sara Hector, it was Scheib, Rast and Paula Moltzan who were in the driving seat ahead of the second run. To the delight of the home crowd, Hilma Lövblom and World Cup debutant and local skier Sophie Nyberg also qualified for the second run.
Once there, Lövblom set the fastest run of the field and climed 12 positions, closely followed by Nyberg, who climbed 16 positions. Both Swedish skiers finished with personal best results.
With Rast skiing out in the second run while Scheib had a solid run, the latter claimed her fifth victory of the season and also secured the overall giant slalom title and the crystal globe. She was celebrated, together with Paula Moltzan and third-place finisher Alice Robinson, in front of a large crowd at Åre Square on Saturday evening.
Great Skiing & Ambience in Sunny Conditions
Residents of Åre and the athletes woke up to bright sunshine and sub-zero temperatures on Sunday, and the crowd saw Mikaela Shiffrin take a commanding lead in the first slalom run ahead of Emma Aicher and Katharina Truppe. The home crowd could also celebrate having four Swedish skiers through to the second run, with young Cornelia Öhlund—who has already made both her Olympic debut and competed at the Junior World Championships this season—best placed in fifth position.
In the second run, Czech skier Martina Dubovska made the biggest climb, moving from bib number 36 to 11th place, while Shiffrin claimed another World Cup victory on the slope where she won her very first ditto as a 17-year-old. After holding a commanding lead following the first run, she extended it even further and finished almost a second ahead of Emma Aicher, who took the first second place in slalom of her career. One of the home crowd’s favourite athletes, Wendy Holdener, delivered a strong second run to secure third place ahead of Truppe.
Hard Work Behind the Scenes
Following the 113th and 114th World Cup races in Åre, the World Cup now moves on to Lillehammer for the finals. As the arena is restored and cleaned up, the organisation behind the competitions looks back on a wonderful weekend made possible thanks to the strong efforts of volunteers, staff and everyone involved.
“We have been very lucky with the weather, but above all we have had a fantastic organisation with volunteers whose dedication and hard work made it possible to carry out this event. We can proudly look back on a very successful competition weekend,” says Olle Danielsson Klippinge, CEO of the World Cup organiser Svenska Skidförbundet Events.
Results
Giant Slalom, Saturday 14 March
- Julia Scheib, Austria 2.22.41
- Paula Moltzan, USA +0.36
- Alice Robinson, New Zealand, +1.74
Slalom, Sunday 15 March
- Mikaela Shiffrin, USA 1.43.35
- Emma Aicher, +0.94
- Wendy Holdener, +1.00
