Slovak skier Vlhova repeats slalom double in Levi

BRATISLAVA, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Slovak alpine skier Petra Vlhova repeated her stellar performance from last year and won both slalom races in the Finnish resort of Levi, tying US star Mikaela Shiffrin for first place in the FIS World Cup standings on Sunday.

Identical to Saturday, Shiffrin placed second, trailing by 0.47 seconds, while German Lena Duerr finished third with 0.78 seconds more on the clock.

The 26-year-old Vlhova produced four perfect runs and a deja vu-like performance, taking home a double win in the two opening slalom races, exactly like a year before.

With five victories in Levi under her belt, she became the most successful skier to ever compete there.

"I feel like my slalom performance is different. I made changes to my team, I have a new coach Mauro Pini and it shows on the track. I am more satisfied and happy. I feel physically stronger," explained Vlhova after the superb weekend.

The podium looked the same as on Saturday with Shiffrin on second and the biggest surprise of the season Lena Duerr of Germany in third.

Vlhova was gifted another reindeer calf by the organizers, her fifth overall. "I will probably start a reindeer farm soon. I will call this one Boris after my brother who is a great support, always with me at the start," she said.

The next event on the schedule is the Giant Slalom in Killington, the United States.