Croatian skier Zrinka Ljutić finished 11th in the giant slalom in Sölden, Austria, the first race of the new Alpine skiing World Cup season. Ljutić trailed winner Paula Moltzan by one second and 35 hundredths, recording a total time of 2:16.17, which secured her first points of the new season.
In the first run, Ljutić was 12th with a deficit of 1.34 seconds behind then-leader Mikaela Shiffrin. In the second run, she started more decisively and showed more speed, but made a mistake on the steep section of the course, costing her precious time. "I definitely showed some good things in a race that is always demanding for me," Ljutić said.
She explained that she felt differently on the competitive course than during previous training sessions in Sölden, particularly in the first run, which made her somewhat more reserved. After her first appearance, she felt she could ski faster. "It worked well, I was driving well until that one mistake on the slope," she said, adding that she clipped her skis and lost speed, which affected her final result.
American Paula Moltzan won with a total time of 2:14.82, securing her first World Cup victory. Second place went to Lara Colturi, who competes for Albania, with a deficit of just one hundredth of a second. German Emma Aicher took third place, trailing the winner by 52 hundredths. Mikaela Shiffrin, who led after the first run, finished seventh with an 83-hundredth deficit.
Other results from the Sölden giant slalom: Sara Hector (Sweden) trailed by 63 hundredths, Asja Zenere (Italy) by 72 hundredths, and Zrinka Ljutić (Croatia) by 1.35 seconds.
The skiing weekend in Sölden continues on Sunday, 25 October, with the men's giant slalom. Filip Zubčić will represent Croatia in that race. The new World Cup season began with several changes in the Croatian ski team.
