KETCHUM, Idaho — Sun Valley welcomed the greatest skiers in the world to Idaho this week. On Thursday, men's and women's slalom finished off the World Cup Finals.
Mikaela Shiffrin is one of the all-time greats with a record 100 wins coming into this race on the World Cup Circuit, she has won two Olympic gold medals and a silver. However, Shiffrin is also coming off a horrific crash that put her season in jeopardy.
So when Shiffrin led the pack after the first heat it built a lot of energy among the fans. When Shiffrin crossed the finish line in first place 1.13 seconds ahead of the next competitor the crowd erupted.
"Amazing, I could hear the crowd down here from the start and also the people who were cheering at the start," said Shiffrin. "It feels good to ski it with power and intensity, I can thank the crowd for giving me that energy."
On the men's side Timon Haugon of Norway won the slalom event with his Norwegian teammate Henrik Kristofferson taking the overall season title. On the women's side that went to Croatian skier Zrinka Ljutic.
"I just hugged my dad and we both cried," said Ljutic. "Everything we have been through and all the work we’ve done really paid off so I’m just really happy."
This marked Ljutic's first experience in the western United States, the last time Sun Valley hosted the World Cup Finals was in 1977 and the people came out to show their appreciation for these skiers with hospitality and energy that Ljutic really enjoyed.
“I did," said Ljutic. "They were loud, everyone is so nice and cheering for everyone it was really good work from Sun Valley."
As for Shiffrin she will be able to take a little bit of time off, but she is already looking forward to next year with the Olympics in Italy. Shiffrin is still working to put the crash behind her, but she hopes to compete in the slalom and the giant slalom.
"I feel like there is a lot of work to do, but I feel like this race gave me the energy to do it."
