Vlhova Pulls Off Miraculous Second Run to Win Gold in Slalom in Beijing

Vlhova Pulls Off Miraculous Second Run to Win Gold in Slalom in Beijing

Beijing, February 9 (TASR) – Slovak Alpine skier Petra Vlhova on Wednesday won the women’s slalom event at the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing thanks to a phenomenal second run.

Vlhova finished first by the narrowest margin, beating Austria’s Katharina Liensberger by only 0.08 seconds and Switzerland’s Wendy Holdener by 0.12 seconds. Vlhova was back in eighth place after the first run ended, trailing by a considerable 0.72 seconds behind then-leader Lena Deurr of Germany.

The 26-year-old Slovak skier won her first-ever medal at the Olympics. Moreover, she’s also become the first Slovak to win any medal in Alpine skiing disciplines in Olympic competitions.

Vlhova has become only the fourth Slovak to win a medal at the Winter Olympic Games, joining the ranks of biathlete Anastasia Kuzmina (3 golds, 3 silvers), snowboarder Radoslav Zidek (1 silver) and biathlete Pavol Hurajt (1 bronze).