KRANJSKA GORA, Slovenia (AP) —

Croatian skier Zrinka Ljutic made it back-to-back World Cup wins in women’s slalom to take the lead in the standings on Sunday.

The 20-year-old Ljutic won her first title at Semmering, Austria last week and quickly followed up with her second at Kranjska Gora. Ljutic was joint-fastest with Wendy Holdener in their first run, then 0.16 seconds faster than the Swiss skier in the second.

“I didn’t know how Wendy, how well she skied,” Ljutic said. “I just had my own sort of idea and I was really focusing on myself. I kind of decided the tempo of the course of the run, how I want to ski. And I really tried to stick to that vision and I made it, it was enough. So that’s even better.”

Anna Swenn-Larsson of Sweden was third, 1.19 behind Ljutic.

Ljutic makes it back-to-back World Cup wins in women’s slalom for standings lead | iNFOnews.ca — Croatia’s Zrinka Ljutic reacts after winning an alpine ski, women’s World Cup slalom race in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

With injured star Mikaela Shiffrin not racing, Ljutic seized the lead in the discipline standings on 309 points, four ahead of former leader Camille Rast, who was fourth, 1.36 behind.

Rast maintained her record of not finishing outside the top five slalom placings this season. The Swiss skier won her debut World Cup race in Killington on Dec. 1.

Ljutic leads the overall standings on 456 points, nine ahead of Sweden’s Sara Hector, who was sixth after winning the giant slalom the day before.

Ljutic, who will turn 21 later this month, said her success seven days earlier spurred her on again.

“Especially now after this nice result in Semmingen, I really had a big appetite, I obviously wanted to repeat that and I felt in some sense powerful and dominant,” Ljutic said. “But again, I knew that I cannot now focus on just like the time and the win, I have to do my things before that in order to make possible that it happens. And it happened. So I’m just grateful.”

Defending champion Shiffrin, who triumphed in the first two races in the discipline this season, is recovering from abdominal surgery to clean out a deep wound she suffered in a giant slalom crash on Nov. 30 in Killington.

In Shiffrin’s absence, Katie Hensien was the highest placed American skier in 12th.