New Zealand's Alice Robinson speeds down the course during the first run of an alpine ski, World Cup women's giant slalom in Jasna, Slovakia. Photo / AP
New Zealand's Alice Robinson speeds down the course during the first run of an alpine ski, World Cup women's giant slalom in Jasna, Slovakia. Photo / AP
New Zealand skier Alice Robinson has recorded her best finish of the World Cup Giant Slalom season in her penultimate race in Slovakia.
The 19-year-old who finished fourth at last month's World Championships in Cortina in Italy, has finished second in between two of the greats at Jasna, Slovakian PetraVlhova and Olympic champion American Mikaela Shiffrin.
Robinson was seventh fastest after her first run in which she made too many mini slides on the top section of the course but improved on the lower section to finish just under a second slower than first run leader Shiffrin.
But Robinson had a blinder of a second run, clocking 1:07:49 which was the fastest of all the competitors and she rocketed into the lead.
The Queenstown skier was just pipped by Vlhova whose combined time of 2:16.66 was point 0.16 of a second quicker than the young Kiwi. Shiffrin who led after the opening run, couldn't reproduce the form that saw her topple Vlhova to win the slalom 24 hours earlier, and slipped to third behind Robinson.
"In the second run I just fully attacked and was so confident in what my plan was, and it felt easy," Robinson said.
United States' Mikaela Shiffrin, right, celebrates on the podium her third place with second placed New Zealand's Alice Robinson. Photo / AP
Robinson who won two of the six completed World Cup Giant Slalom races last season, had struggled for much of her second full season on the circuit with two ninth place finishes her best results apart from her World Championship effort.
The second place finish this morning sees Robinson climb eight places to eighth in the World Cup GS standings. Italian Marta Bassino who finished fourth, has clinched the overall World Cup GS title with one race to go in Switzerland at the World Cup Finals later this month.
Robinson looms as a strong medal prospect at the Beijing Winter Olympics in 11 months' time with all her rivals at least five years older than her.
Last week she finished 10th in a World Cup Super G, her best result in her second discipline and she will start some downhill training before she returns to New Zealand in April, as she looks to add the ultimate speed event to her repertoire for next season.
