Swiss skier Camille Rast completes rough road to win slalom at world championships

SAALBACH-HINTERGLEMM, Austria (AP) — The daughter of an off-road motorbike racer, Camille Rast knows what it takes to go over rough roads.

The Swiss skier has had to navigate her way past several obstacles on her career path: Mononucleosis, a torn ACL and meniscus, self-doubt.

Finally, her perseverance is paying off.

The 25-year-old Rast crowned her breakout season on Saturday by beating teammate Wendy Holdener for a Swiss 1-2 in the women’s slalom at the Alpine skiing world championships.

Rast became the first Swiss winner of the slalom since the great Vreni Schneider in 1991 at the same Austrian resort.

“Mentally I was ready for this day. I just wanted to enjoy the whole day. It’s mega cool to be on the podium with Wendy,” said the new champion, whose father, Philippe Rast, had successes in international enduro races.

Rast held on to her big first-run lead to beat Holdener by 0.46 seconds.

Katharina Liensberger, the 2021 world champion from Austria, was 1.32 seconds behind in third.

American teammates Paula Moltzan and Mikaela Shiffrin missed a medal by fractions in fourth and fifth, respectively.

Rast was competing at her fifth worlds and won her first medal, after she took gold in slalom at the 2017 junior world championships. She leads the slalom season standings after getting the first two World Cup wins of her career.

“It’s a super season, especially in slalom,” Rast said. “But I did not put myself under the pressure that I had to win a medal here. This attitude was just right to get one.”

The right attitude was what Rast needed several times in recent years to overcame setbacks.

Shortly after scoring her first World Cup points and winning the junior world title, she sat out most of the 2017-18 season with mononucleosis.

Having found her way back, she beat Holdener to win the Swiss giant slalom title in 2019, but the following day she severely damaged her right knee in a slalom crash.

After making gradual progress over the past years, it all has all been coming together for Rast this season.

“Today, all pieces fit together,” Swiss team tech coach Christian Brill said. “That’s her class. We always knew she can ski well. Now she has proven it again at the world championships. She is very focused, knows what she wants, and is a meticulous worker.”

Holdener posted the fastest second-run time to improve from fourth position and earn her third silver medal at the worlds, after finishing runner-up in the team combined with Lara Gut-Behrami and in the mixed-team parallel event last week.

“I am the record holder for second places,” quipped Holdener, who missed most of last season as she recovered from a broken left ankle and dealt with the loss of her brother, Kevin, who died in February.

“Today it’s OK to win silver, I showed what I can do. I am grateful to be here in Saalbach and to be so successful,” she said. “The team and my family helped me to gain energy again.”

It was Holdener’s ninth career medal from the worlds, matching the Swiss record held by Gut-Behrami and Pirmin Zurbriggen.

Shiffrin missed out on what would have been her record-setting 16th career medal from the worlds. She shares the best mark with German skier Christl Cranz, who won 15 medals in the 1930s.

Shiffrin, who recently returned from a two-month injury layoff, dropped from third after the opening run but was still satisfied with “some of the best skiing I’ve done lately.”

Shiffrin won a medal in slalom — including four gold — at all six previous world championships she competed in since 2013.

Shiffrin won gold with American teammate Breezy Johnson in the team combined on Tuesday but sat out the giant slalom two days later. She felt not ready yet to race GS after recovering from an abdominal injury in a GS crash in Killington, Vermont in November.

Moltzan won bronze in giant slalom on Thursday and posted the second-fastest time in the final run on Saturday to finish three-hundredths ahead of Shiffrin.

Moltzan's final run was even 0.21 seconds faster than Rast's, but the American was full of praise for the winner.

“She’s impressive,” Moltzan said. “It’s just so next level. She can point her skis so straight down the hill and make such a clean turn. It’s just inspiring. And she’s a really kind person and that’s important as well.”

The world championships end with the men's slalom on Sunday.

AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing

Switzerland's Camille Rast, center, winner of a gold medal in a women's slalom, celebrates on the podium with silver medalist Switzerland's Wendy Holdener, left, and bronze medalist Austria's Katharina Liensberger, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

Switzerland's Camille Rast, center, winner of a gold medal in a women's slalom, celebrates on the podium with silver medalist Switzerland's Wendy Holdener, left, and bronze medalist Austria's Katharina Liensberger, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

Switzerland's Camille Rast, right, winner of a gold medal in a women's slalom, looks up from the podium next to silver medalist Switzerland's Wendy Holdener, left, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

Switzerland's Camille Rast, right, winner of a gold medal in a women's slalom, celebrates on the podium with silver medalist Switzerland's Wendy Holdener, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

Switzerland's Camille Rast celebrates winning the gold medal in a women's slalom, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

Switzerland's Wendy Holdener, left, hugs Switzerland's Camille Rast after winning the silver (Holdener) and gold medal a women's slalom, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

Switzerland's Camille Rast celebrates winning a women's slalom, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

United States' Mikaela Shiffrin competes in a women's slalom, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

United States' Paula Moltzan competes in a women's slalom, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

Austria's Katharina Liensberger competes in a women's slalom, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

Switzerland's Camille Rast competes in a women's slalom, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

United States' Mikaela Shiffrin warms up ahead of a women's slalom, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

United States' Mikaela Shiffrin concentrates ahead of a women's slalom, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

United States' Mikaela Shiffrin competes in a women's slalom, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo blocked a shot by LeBron James and stole the ball from him on consecutive possessions in the final minute, and the Milwaukee Bucks blew a fourth-quarter lead before rallying for a 105-101 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.

Kevin Porter Jr. scored 22 points, and he hit two free throws to break a tie after Antetokounmpo blocked a driving layup attempt by James with 39 seconds left.

Antetokounmpo then knocked the ball out of James' hands from behind with 2 seconds left, and Porter hit two more free throws to seal Milwaukee's fifth win in seven games — its first over a team with a winning record since Dec. 11. Antetokounmpo finished with 21 points in his lowest-scoring effort since returning from his right calf strain.

Luka Doncic had 24 points and nine assists on 8-of-25 shooting for the Lakers. He had his lowest-scoring performance since Christmas, and he fouled out on Porter's 3-point attempt with 16.2 seconds to play.

James had 26 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds, but Antetokoumpo got the best of the top scorer in NBA history at crunch time. Los Angeles has lost six of 10.

Milwaukee surged to a double-digit lead in the first half even with Antetokounmpo on a minutes restriction in his injury return. Doncic scored 12 points in the third quarter but also committed four fouls in the period, including his fifth of the game.

Los Angeles abruptly erased its deficit by going on a 17-4 run to open the fourth, with James putting the Lakers ahead when he stole the ball from Antetokounmpo for a layup with 6:02 left. Milwaukee missed nine of its first 12 shots in the period, but Porter's layup tied it with two minutes left.

Lakers starters Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura remain sidelined by injury, but Hachimura (calf) might return early next week from his six-game absence, coach JJ Redick said.

Bucks: At Denver on Sunday.

Lakers: At Sacramento on Monday.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart, left, tries to shoot as Milwaukee Bucks guard Gary Trent Jr. defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic, left, and Milwaukee Bucks guard Kevin Porter Jr. go after a loose ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)