German skier Emma Aicher wins her first World Cup slalom race

LEVI, Finland (AP) — German skier Emma Aicher won her first World Cup slalom on Saturday to take full advantage of Mikaela Shiffrin's absence.One day after her birthday, the 23-year-old Aicher was fastest on the first run in Levi, Finland, and successfully protected her advantage on the second run in the first women's slalom of the season.“It’s definitely a good birthday present," Aicher said.

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“I managed two solid runs with no big mistakes.”Lara Colturi of Albania was second, with Austria’s Katharina Truppe completing the podium.Last year, Aicher finished overall runner-up to Shiffrin when the American secured a record-tying sixth overall World Cup title.The women’s slalom season will be marked by the reduced presence of Shiffrin in a discipline that she has dominated. The Olympic slalom champion is reducing the number of starts in her strongest discipline and putting more focus on giant slalom and super-G. She is calling this campaign an “exploration season.”Shiffrin has nine slalom w