The Croatian nugget has struck again. Zrinka Ljutic won the Kranjska Gora slalom in style, counting for the Alpine Ski World Cup, after a very competitive race ahead of the Swiss Wendy Holdener and the Swede Anna Swenn-Larsson, to conclude on Sunday a successful Slovenian weekend.
The 20-year-old prodigy is the first Croatian to win on the Podkoren track. And in what way! Titillated by her rival Holdener, in the first heat which they both finished in the same time (50″82), she was solid throughout in the second to win in 1’39″62.
Victorious in the last four rounds
After a quick start, she gained time on Holdener, sector by sector, before letting go of the horses for a breathtaking finish. Convinced of having struck a major blow, she exploded with joy in the finish area, sharing a moving moment of communion with the public committed to her cause. She beat Holdener by 0.16 and Swenn-Larsson, 4th in the first round, by 1.19.
Ljutic and Holdener at the same time: relive their first round
Video credit: Eurosport
This is the second victory for Ljutic who has dominated the last four slalom rounds of this season with his success last weekend in Semmering. With 456 points, she also takes first place in the general World Cup rankings ahead of Swede Sara Hector (447 pts), sixth in the race, and is at the top of the specialty rankings (309 pts).
