It was an emotional afternoon for Kostelic, who won in Slovenia for the first time in a little over ten years.

CNN: Hirscher secures maiden World Cup slalom crown

Miller, seventh after the downhill section, relegated pre-race favorite Ivica Kostelic of Croatia to the silver medal position after producing a superb slalom run.

CNN: Bode Miller wins first Olympic gold medal

But for me, Kostelic was the favourite because I know how important current confidence is in ski racing, and it translates from one discipline to the other.

BBC: Confidence counts for Kostelic