PATSCHERKOFEL, Jan 20 - Petra VLHOVA (SVK) had narrowly missed the podium twice at the Innsbruck 2012 Winter Winter Olympic Games, but on Friday she finally found Gold by winning the Alpine Skiing Ladies' Slalom event.

It was the first medal for Slovakia at these Games, earned after VLHOVA had marked fourth-place finishes in Giant Slalom and Super Combined earlier in the week.

VLHOVA said she would cherish the medal.

“I’ll keep it on until the end of my life,” she said.

The 16-year-old Slovakian clocked a total time of 1 minute, 19.76 seconds, 1.49 seconds faster than the second place finisher Roni REMME (CAN).

REMME claimed Silver with a time of 1:21.25, and Ekaterina TKACHENKO (RUS) took the Bronze in 1:21.62.

It was a day of redemption as well for REMME, who rebounded from two races in which she did not finish to claim her Silver medal.

REMME's chances of a medal did not look good as she waited in the finish area after her second run, but three top racers skied off course on their second runs, propelling her to the podium.

Eighteen competitors did not finish the first run, including four Youth Olympic Games medallists, and seven more did the same on run two.

Course conditions were tough as morning rain turned into snowfall just as the first run began. Warm weather and snow combined to create a soft course, made choppier by each skier.

Course conditions and nerves were not an issue for VLHOVA, who led by 0.90 seconds after the first run.

“I was not nervous, I was quite relaxed,” she said. “I saw the one before me [skied] out and I was ok.”

Having won the first medal for Slovakia at the Winter Youth Olympic Games, VLHOVA plans to keep the medal, “in a special place,” next to her other trophies in the living room of her cottage in the mountains.

Silver medallist REMME admitted she had some difficulty, but was over-joyed to claim a medal.

"Coming out of the gate both times it was a little rough, a little bumpy but the course was ok," she said.

"I got it together for the second half of the course on both runs and I think that really helped me."

"This would have to be the most exciting [achievement] of my life."

TKACHENKO was also thrilled with her Bronze medal.

"I just feel amazing because I didn't expect a Bronze medal. I can't believe it."

YIS IOC Young Reporter Nicholas Oliver/tb/rm/lm