By Simon Evans
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Switzerland’s Michelle Gisin won the women’s combined at the Pyeongchang Games on Thursday with American Mikaela Shiffrin taking silver while another Swiss Wendy Holdener won bronze.
Lindsey Vonn, who had led after the downhill section, was the last skiier to compete but did not finish her slalom run leaving the 24-year-old Gisin to take her first Olympic medal. The event was likely Vonn’s last Olympics run.
“It’s sad,” she said on Tuesday after placing third in the women’s alpine downhill final. “This is my last downhill. I wish I could keep going. I have so much fun. I love what I do. My body probably just can’t take another four years.”
Gisin’s victory, with a combined time of two minutes 20.90, nearly a second ahead of pre-race favorite Shiffrin, completed a rare Olympic double for her family.
Gisin’s elder sister Dominique won gold in the downhill in Sochi four years ago.
The result leaves Shiffrin with two medals from these Games after her gold in giant slalom.
Holdener produced the fastest slalom run of the day with 40.23 and held on to bronze with Norwegian Ragnhild Mowinckel struggling in the technical element and then Vonn skiing out early in her effort.
(Reporting by Simon Evans and Rory Carroll; Editing by John O’Brien/Greg Stutchbury)