Andorran Skier Carla Mijares Wins SAC Slalom Opener in Argentina

Andorran alpine skier Carla Mijares finished fifth in the second South American Cup (SAC) slalom at Cerro Castor, Argentina, earning 145 points to rank second overall in the discipline standings, trailing leader Viktoria Zaytseva by five points.

Mijares, competing for the Andorran Ski Federation (FAE), recorded a combined time of 1:53.98, placing fourth in both runs and ending 1.75 seconds behind Zaytseva. The American took victory ahead of Argentina's Francesca Baruzzi in second, 0.43 seconds off the pace, with the United States' Annika Hunt third at 1.18 seconds back and Switzerland's Anuk Braendli fourth, 1.48 seconds slower. Mijares earned 27.75 FIS points and 45 SAC points from her splits of +1.21 in the first run and +0.54 in the second, bringing her season FIS total to within reach of improving her current 31.06 quota after a third strong result.

This performance followed her victory in the SAC season opener at the same venue, where she overcame an early gap to beat Hunt by 0.37 seconds and Sweden's Annika Johansson by 0.83 seconds, securing 100 SAC points and 17.91 FIS points. Zaytseva leads the SAC slalom table with 150 points, followed by Mijares on 145 and Hunt on 140.

In the men's race, Bartumeu Gabriel climbed to 14th overall, 2.50 seconds behind the winner, after starting 18th in the first run and 13th in the second, gaining 33.43 FIS points. Xavier Cornella ended 21st, dropping from 13th in the opener to 24th in this event.

The Andorran team will train before heading to Chile on August 25 for the SAC slalom at La Parva on August 30, with giant slalom races at El Colorado on August 28 and 29 that include Íria Medina and Clàudia Garcia.