Story highlights
Maria Schild wins a record 35th World Cup slalom race on Sunday
Austrian moves past Vreni Schneider with her second successive win
She is now targeting compatriot Annemarie Moser-Proll's 36 in any discipline
Aksel Lund Svindal extends men's lead with donwhill victory in Bormio
Austria has produced many of the world’s greatest skiers, and another made her mark on the history books in front of her home crowd on Sunday.
Marlies Schild claimed the 35th World Cup slalom victory of her career in Lienz to take sole ownership of the record from Switzerland’s Vreni Schneider.
It also put the 32-year-old behind only compatriot Annemarie Moser-Proll’s 36 downhill titles for the most in any World Cup discipline.
“It is just amazing. I didn’t really expect it after my first run that was far from perfect,” said Schild, who was sixth after the opening leg.
“Even after crossing the finish line in the second run, my feeling wasn’t that good. I thought that was not going to be enough for the win. The upper part didn’t work out the way I wanted but I pushed in the lower section and it paid off.”
It was the 2011 world champion’s second successive slalom victory after topping the podium in the French Alps earlier this month.
“Tying the record in Courchevel took some pressure off,” she said. “But I was still very nervous today. It is always special to race at home. I am extremely happy right now.”
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American teenager Mikaela Shiffrin, who won the world title in February, followed up her third place in Saturday’s giant slalom at the same venue by taking second ahead of Germany’s Maria Hofl-Riesch.
It kept the 18-year-old two points ahead of Schild in the slalom standings, while Hofl-Riesch now has the same advantage over previous leader Tina Weirather in the race for the overall World Cup title.
Meanwhile, Aksel Lund Svindal moved 195 points clear in the men’s World Cup with the 25th victory of his career in Sunday’s downhill in Bormio.
The Norwegian, third at the Italian course last year, finished 0.39 seconds ahead of Austria’s defending champion Hannes Reichelt.
Canada’s Erik Guay, who won the last downhill in Val Gardena, was third.
“Bormio is a tough race. Usually it is decided on the last section; when everyone is tired you have to try and push that bit extra,” Svindal said.
“I am going south to do some windsurfing and relax on the beach for four days over New Year’s. I want to have some fun before the World Cup continues in January. It’s healthy for me to walk barefoot on the beach and relax a bit after being in the cold all the time.”