Jan 31 (V7N) - Croatia's Zrinka Ljutic secured her third World Cup victory of the season on Thursday in the women's slalom in Courchevel, France. Ljutic, who led after the first run, posted a combined time of 1:45.06, finishing 1.26 seconds ahead of Sweden's Sara Hector. Germany's Lena Duerr claimed third place.

This victory propelled Ljutic into second place in the slalom standings, trailing only Switzerland's Camille Rast, who finished fifth in Courchevel. The Croatian skier, who had never won a World Cup race five weeks ago, is now enjoying a breakout season. "I'm living the dream and don't wake me up," Ljutic said after her win. Switzerland's Wendy Holdener, who was in second place after the first run, failed to finish after a fall in her second attempt.

Meanwhile, Mikaela Shiffrin made her much-anticipated return after a ski crash in November that halted her quest for a record-extending 100th World Cup victory. The American skier was in fifth place after the first run, 0.87 seconds behind Ljutic, but ultimately finished 10th, 2.04 seconds back. Despite the result, Shiffrin smiled and waved to the crowd upon crossing the finish line.

"It was a very important step in my recovery to see how I am stacking up with the top skiers in the world," Shiffrin said. "I really appreciate watching them, and I am so happy to be back competing. Hopefully, I get faster in the next weeks." The 29-year-old entered the season needing three more wins to reach 100 World Cup victories, a milestone she hoped to achieve on home snow.

Shiffrin had won consecutive slalom races in Finland and Austria last November and was close to another victory in Killington, Vermont, before a crash sent her tumbling into the safety netting. The accident forced her to take a break from competition and focus on recovery.

Despite the setback, Shiffrin remains the most successful Alpine skier in World Cup history, surpassing Swedish legend Ingemar Stenmark's record of 86 victories in March 2023. Now back on the slopes, she aims to regain her top form and chase the historic 100- win mark.

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