Vlhova Crowned Zagreb Snow Queen

While the ski world was on edge about the future of the Snow Queen Trophy race last week after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit the Croatian city, the Zagreb race organizers didn’t back down and pressed on to hold the FIS World Cup race only five days later. Under the lights, the women raced in springlike conditions, complete with sugary salted snow and even some rain first run. And neither earthquake nor sloppy snow could stop Petra Vlhova of Slovakia, who won her fourth race of the season. Katharina Liensberger of Austria was second and Michelle Gisin was third.

The first run was a challenge for the entire field with warm, wet conditions to battle through. The top racers finished all within striking distance with Vlhova holding a 0.32 advantage over Austrian Katharina Liensberger, while Michelle Gisin (SUI) sat in third place only 0.38 seconds back. American Mikaela Shiffrin was also in the hunt only 0.42 seconds behind.

Despite the close margin, the second run did nothing to change the final results as Vlhova, Liensberger and Gisin all went 1-2-3, with Shiffrin landing just short of the podium.

“It was a really hard day for me today,” said a relieved Vlhova after the race. “I had to find my confidence again and the entire day was a fight, especially the second run. I though I was out of the podium picture, but I kept fighting through the finish.”

“When I saw I was only the 11th fastest in the second run, I thought I was for sure out of the podium, but then the green light showed up and I couldn’t believe it,” Vlhova said.

Today marked Vlhova’s fourth slalom World Cup victory of the season, which she can add to two third-place finishes in the giant slalom. Those numbers are enough to give Vlhova a 128-point lead in the Overall World Cup standings ahead of Gisin.

Liensberger also turned in another strong performance with her second, second-place showing in as many races. It was Gisin’s third podium of the season after she won in Semmering and took third place in the Levi slalom.

Mikaela Shiffrin led the U.S. Alpine Ski Team women finishing just off the podium in fourth place. Paula Moltzan was 14th and Katie Hensien 18th.

While the ski world was on edge about the future of the Snow Queen Trophy race last week after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit the Croatian city, the Zagreb race organizers didn’t back down and pressed on to hold the FIS World Cup race only five days later. Under the lights, the women raced in springlike conditions, complete with sugary salted snow and even some rain first run. And neither earthquake nor sloppy snow could stop Petra Vlhova of Slovakia, who won her fourth race of the season. Katharina Liensberger of Austria was second and Michelle Gisin was third.

Mikaela, who was fourth after first run, put down a fast second run to leave her just .05 seconds off the podium. “Things are going in a good direction,” she said, referencing that it was only her sixth race back on the circuit after an extended break. “But it takes time and I always said that from the beginning: It’s not easy to win. Especially if you don’t have momentum, then it’s even harder. It’s always really hard work—hard mentally and I know that. I’m trying not to expect too much.”

However, Mikaela’s signature drive is still there—seen in her eyes and in her fast skiing. She had won in Zagreb four times before and can see herself on the top of the podium again. “I want to be there—on the podium and in the first spot—but it’s also greedy or arrogant to think I can just do it,” she said. “It’s strange because of the past 10 years, but at the same time, it’s normal for right now. I’m not sad.”

For now, she’ll take the fourth-place result and put some more time on her skis. Slalom requires hours and hours of work and Mikaela is still getting those miles under her feet. “Out of all the events, you have to ski a lot of slalom to be really strong,” she said. “I can be hopeful and positive, but also realistic. Fourth and three tenths out is okay. I had a better second run with fewer mistakes—maybe a little less risk, but some better position on my skis. I can take that and go with it.”

It was also an impressive day for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team women, with four athletes skiing in the second run—the first time since 2007 that four women made the flip. Paula Moltzan skied the third-fastest second run to take 14th overall—her best World Cup slalom result since 2019 when she was 12th in Flachau, Austria. Katie Hensien made a World Cup second run for the second time in a week and scored her first points, nailing a coveted top-20 result in 18th place. Nina O’Brien was 30th after first run, but straddled and did not finish.

Resi Stiegler and Lila Lapanja also raced but did not qualify for a second run.

Zagreb was just another example of the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team showcasing its depth, with the men and women amassing 10 podiums across five different athletes so far this year, along with career-best results and first World Cup points for a number of athletes. This has been the strongest start to a season in this generation.