Mikaela Shiffrin continues her impressive streak in the slalom events of the current Olympic season, showcasing dominant performances with substantial winning margins. The renowned American skier secured her 105th World Cup victory, setting a new record, as her main competitors faced challenges during the initial run of a night race in Courcheval, France.
Extending her lead from the first run, Shiffrin completed the race in 1 minute 42.50 seconds, finishing 1.55 seconds ahead of Camille Rast from Switzerland and 1.71 seconds ahead of Emma Aicher from Germany. This victory marks Shiffrin’s fourth consecutive slalom win this season and her fifth consecutive win if including the last race of the previous season.
With this achievement, Rast and Aicher climbed to third and fourth place, respectively, in the overall standings. Shiffrin maintains her lead with 558 points, followed by Alice Robinson (394), Rast (343), and Aicher (319).
During the second run, Laurence St-Germain from St.-Ferreol-les-Neiges, Quebec, secured the 13th position, representing Canada, finishing 3.97 seconds behind Shiffrin. Amelia Smart from Invermere, British Columbia, placed 23rd among the 24 finishers.
Shiffrin’s season has been characterized by commanding victories, with all her winning margins exceeding one second, including notable leads of 1.66 seconds in Levi, Finland, 1.23 seconds in Gurgl, Austria, and 1.57 seconds in Copper Mountain, Colorado, before her recent triumph in the French Alps, resulting in an average winning margin of 1.5025 seconds.
Reflecting on her success, Shiffrin mentioned, “I’m just pushing. I’m not asking questions. Sometimes you just got to take it and roll with it. Lock in this feeling.”
In a turn of events, some of Shiffrin’s rivals encountered difficulties during the race. Lena Duerr from Germany, who held the third position after the first run, veered off course early in her second run. Lara Colturi, an Italian skier representing Albania, faced a setback as she straddled a gate towards the end of her opening run, halting her streak of three consecutive slalom podium finishes.
Wendy Holdener, despite a mishap at the end of her first run where she hit a hole in the finish area, managed to secure a seventh-place finish. Holdener had a frightening moment when she got flipped into the air and landed on her back, but she quickly recovered and continued to compete. Defending World Cup slalom champion Zrinka Ljutic and Olympic silver medalist Katharina Liensberger both faced early exits during the race.
Katharina Truppe from Austria finished fourth, while American skier Paula Moltzan improved from ninth to fifth with a strong second run. Shiffrin celebrated her 68th World Cup slalom win, reminiscing her gold medals in slalom at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and giant slalom at the Pyeongchang Games four years later.
Looking ahead, women’s alpine skiing at the upcoming Olympics from February 6 to February 22 will take place in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, a location where Shiffrin achieved four medals in four events during the 2021 world championships. The event also holds significance as Lindsey Vonn holds the record for 12 World Cup victories there. Vonn, who recently won a downhill event at the age of 41, is not competing in slalom but will participate in downhill and super-G races in Val d’Isere this weekend.
