Ljutic wins slalom to give Croatian women's ski team 1st victory since Kostelic's final triumph in 2006
Canada's St-Germain finishes 24th in Semmering, Austria
Zrinka Ljutic gave the Croatian women's ski team its first World Cup victory in almost 19 years by triumphing in the final race of the calendar year on Sunday in Semmering, Austria.
With injured star Mikaela Shiffrin not racing, Ljutic dominated the fourth slalom of the season, posted the fastest times in both runs and won by a huge margin of 1.75 seconds over runner-up Lena Duerr of Germany.
Katharina Liensberger, the 2021 world champion from Austria, finished 1.85 behind in third.
"It feels like a dream, it was my dream since I was a little kid and to do it today is just amazing," said Ljutic, who turns 21 next month and had racked up five podium results over the last two years.
It's the first World Cup victory for a Croatian woman since four-time Olympic champion Janica Kostelic earned her 30th and last win in March 2006.
WATCH l Ljutic ends Croatian drought with slalom victory:
"I felt all over the place and I really didn't know if I'm fast enough so I tried to push all the way down," Ljutic said about her all-attacking final run.
"I really wanted to take on this chance, and I did," she added.
Laurence St-Germain of Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Que., placed 24th, while Invermere, B.C., native Amelia Smart was last among the 27 skiers who finished both runs.
WATCH l St-Germain finishes 24th in Semmering slalom:
Ljutic laid the foundation for her first career win by dominating the opening run on a course set by her father and coach.
After Amir Ljutic placed the 63 gates on the Zauberberg course, his daughter found the fastest line to finish her run well ahead of the field.
"I think my dad is happy. He was a bit nervous, this was his first time as a course setter," Ljutic said.
The course setter for each run of a World Cup race, usually a coach from one of the participating nations, is determined by lot before the season. The second run was set by Swedish coach Sascha Soria.
"I really wanted to attack, the course required this from me. I wanted to be very active and let the skis go on the more straight parts," Ljutic said.
Duerr and Camille Rast of Switzerland were the only racers who finished the first run less than a second off the pace.
Rast ultimately placed fourth, four weeks after winning the previous slalom, in Killington, Vermont. The Swiss skier returned to the top of both the slalom and overall standings.
Shiffrin, who triumphed in the first two races in the discipline this season, is recovering from abdominal surgery to clean out a deep wound she suffered in a GS crash on Nov. 30 in Killington. There is no date set for her return.
In Shiffrin's absence, AJ Hurt was the only American racer to qualify for the second run and finished 3.99 seconds behind Ljutic in 18th.
Lindsey Vonn, who last week returned to World Cup racing after nearly six years away from the circuit, competes only in the speed events of downhill and super-G.
Olympic slalom champion Petra Vlhova is out indefinitely after she suffered a setback in her recovery from knee surgery last season.
The women's World Cup continues with a giant slalom and slalom in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia next weekend.
WATCH l Full replay of Sunday's 2nd slalom run in Semmering:
With files from CBC Sports
