By Nick Butler

US star Mikaela Shiffrin earned the title of Snow Queen after winning in Zagreb ©AFP/Getty ImagesUnited States' teenage prodigy Mikaela Shiffrin secured the biggest winning margin in the decade-long history of the Zagreb slalom leg of the International Ski Federation (FIS) World Cup, winning by an astonishing 1.68 seconds.


Shiffrin, the 19-year-old reigning world and Olympic slalom champion, earns the title of Zagreb "Snow Queen" by virtue of her victory, with the accolade given to the winner in honour of Croatian skiing legend Janica Kostelić.

In a dominant performance, the American clocked the fastest time in both of her runs in hazardous, icy conditions which proved too much for 33 starters, all of whom failed to finish one of their runs.

Austria's Kathrin Zettel finished a distant second, while Norway's Nina Loseth placed third to earn a first career podium, 2.79 seconds behind the winner.

"This felt incredible, it's such a tough and long hill but they prepare it so well and make it really fun," said Shiffrin afterwards.

"I was trying not to focus on the lead I had in the first run and just going for it all.

"It was really icy and I love that kind of surface, my skis were holding up amazing.

"The hill really held up for everybody so I think it was a really fair race, I'm so glad to be back in Zagreb."

Mikaela Shiffrin (centre) celebrates her latest slalom victory on the World Cup circuit ©FISMikaela Shiffrin (centre) celebrates her latest slalom victory on the World Cup circuit ©FIS



With 11 World Cup wins, Shiffrin has now equalled the record number of slalom victories by a skier under the age of 20, held by France's Perrine Pellen since the 1980s.

Yet the American still trails Sweden's Frida Hansdotter by one point in the overall slalom World Cup standings after five races.

Hansdotter finished fourth in today's race, one position ahead of Slovenia's reigning Olympic downhill and giant slalom champion, Tina Maze. 

Further down the field, Andorra's Mireia Gutierrez superbly qualified into the second run and eventually finished in 20th position, gaining her first ever World Cup points in the process.

The next set of races in the women's FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup will begin on Saturday (January 10) with a downhill event in Austrian resort Bad Kleinkirchheim.

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