Sina Frei strikes a major blow in Lake Placid. The 27-year-old from Zurich celebrates her first World Cup victory in the short track at the second-last stop of the season.
Frei, whose season so far has been marked by injuries and non-selection for the Olympic Games in Paris, came out on top thanks to a successful attack on the last lap, three seconds ahead of Sweden's Jenny Rissveds and four seconds ahead of Great Britain's Evie Richards.
The second-best Swiss athlete at the World Cup premiere in Lake Placid in the US state of New York was Nicole Koller in sixth place. Alessandra Keller, the leader in the overall World Cup, completed the discipline victory in the short track with an 8th place one week before the final in Mont-Sainte-Anne.
Frei had lined up victory after victory at junior level. She has also been among the front runners at elite level for several years, but has so far failed to break through to the very top. Her best results in the current World Cup season, which has been complicated for her, were 6th place in the short tracks in Mairiporã and Val di Sole.
"I am very, very happy. This victory is for Muriel Furrer," said Frei in an initial reaction. The young rider Furrer died on Saturday after a serious crash at the Road World Championships in Zurich.
SDA