Mikaela Shiffrin dominates women's slalom at World Cup finals
Canada's Marie-Michele Gagnon finishes 10th
What might have been.
Mikaela Shiffrin of the United States won another slalom by a huge margin Saturday, with her closest rivals more than two seconds slower at the season-ending World Cup finals.
Veronika Velez-Zuzulova (2.03 seconds behind) and newly-crowned World Cup winner Frida Hansdotter (2.31) could only smile wryly as Shiffrin crossed the line after another monstrous run from the Olympic champion.
Canada's Marie-Michele Gagnon was 10th and her teammate Erin Mielzynski finished 14th.
Shiffrin herself didn't celebrate after her fifth slalom victory of the season and her 19th in total, surpassing Sweden's Anja Parson for fifth place among women.
The American is unbeaten in slalom racing since February 2015 but missed five races during a two-month injury layoff and couldn't capture a fourth successive crystal globe in the discipline.
"It feels really good," Shiffrin said. "It's always nice to end the season on top and it was a really great run so I'm excited.
"It just seems like I'm able to be connected with my skis better and move quicker (than the other women), the rhythm changes don't get me as much and so it all adds up. Two seconds is a lot but it's not that much. So I could easily see them figuring that out and coming right back and beating me."
Shiffrin also had hopes of challenging for the overall title before her training mishap in Sweden.
The 21-year-old is the first woman to win more than three races in one discipline in a season but fail to reach the podium of the final standings.
Hansdotter of Sweden clinched the World Cup slalom title earlier this month with a race to spare. Velez-Zuzulova was runner-up, with Switzerland's Wendy Holdener third in the standings.
It was a tough second run for many of the favourites as Nastastia Noens and Nina Loeseth, who were second and fourth after the first run, failed to finish.
Noens was 0.72 behind Shiffrin after the first run but crashed just after the second intermediate check. The race was interrupted as the French skier was helped to the side of the course, where she received treatment.
Shiffrin was seen lying on her back in the start area with her arms outstretched as she waited for her turn.