Shiffrin out-duels Vlhova to win Killington slalom

BRATISLAVA, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- Slovak skier Petra Vlhova's second-run mistake enabled Mikaela Shiffrin of the United States to win the World Cup Killington slalom event with a time of 1 minute 38.33 seconds on Sunday.

The American alpine skiing superstar extended her winning streak to five races and moved to the top of the overall FIS World Cup rankings.

Vlhova came second with 0.75 seconds behind and Wendy Holdener from Switzerland was third with 0.83 seconds behind.

It's Shiffrin's 71st overall win and 46th in slalom. With the victory, she tied the legendary Swede and giant slalom specialist Ingemar Stenmark for most victories in a single alpine skiing discipline.

It's also Shiffrin's fifth win in a row in Killington, and every time a Slovak skier came in second.

The reigning World Cup champion Vlhova was leading the pack after the first round by 0.2 seconds thanks to a solid run. The weather became worse prior to the second run and it started snowing, making the surface of the piste more challenging. On the course designed by one of Vlhova's coaches, she made a mistake early on in her second run.

"I am not sure what happened. My skis collided and I lost my balance. It was a big mistake. I had to take risks afterward. It could have gone way worse today," said Vlhova after crossing the finish line.

Vlhova's runner-up position on Sunday kept her on top of the slalom standings, leading Shiffrin by 20 points with six more races to go in the season. Enditem