Shiffrin dominates in final World Cup slalom of the year

Mikaela Shiffrin finished 2023 with an eye-catching performance even by her standards, winning a World Cup slalom race by a huge margin of 2.34 seconds on Friday at Lienz, Austria, for her 93rd career victory.

It was Shiffrin’s seventh victory out of her last eight starts in the traditional year-ending slalom, which alternates between the Austrian resorts of Lienz and Semmering.

“The last couple of years, we really built from the beginning of the season to this point, and somehow it clicks, I guess,” said Shiffrin, who missed this race in 2015 with a knee injury, and in 2021 after testing positive for the coronavirus.

Friday’s result was the seventh-biggest winning margin ever in a women’s World Cup slalom.

Shiffrin set four of those other marks, including the record of 3.07 seconds from a race in Aspen, Colo., in November 2015.

Also Friday, Marco Odermatt extended his dominance in super-G in impressive style, winning the last men’s World Cup race of 2023 by a huge margin at Bormio, Italy.

The two-time overall champion beat runner-up Raphael Haaser of Austria by 0.98 seconds.

Britain, Spain claim United Cup victories

Kati Boulter and Cameron Norrie helped Britain beat host Australia 2-1 on the opening day of the United Cup while Spain won the decisive mixed doubles to edge Brazil 2-1 on Friday at Perth, Australia.

Mixed teams from 18 countries are playing in Perth and Sydney in what doubles as a at Pwarmup for the Australian Open.

The format is a men’s and women’s singles match and a mixed doubles.

Boulter gave Britain a decisive 2-0 lead in the opening Group C match in Perth when she beat Ajla Tomljanovic 6-2, 6-4. Norrie earlier by defeating Alex de Minaur 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (2).

Earlier in the opening Group A match in Perth, Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Sara Sorribes Tormo won the decisive mixed doubles against Brazilian pair Beatriz Haddad Maia and Marcelo Melo 6-4, 7-5.

Haddad Maia had beaten Sorribes Tormo 7-6 (1), 6-2 after Davidovich Fokina dispatched Thiago Seyboth Wild 6-4, 6-0.

MLB: Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s $15 million, two-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays was finalized on Friday.

Kiner-Falefa hit .242 with six homers and 37 RBIs in 115 games last season for the New York Yankees, playing 41 games in center, 37 in left, seven in right, 31 at third base and one each at second and shortstop.

He also made four mound appearances.

A Gold Glove winner at third with the Texas Rangers in 2020, Kiner-Falefa has played every position except first base over his six-year big league career. The 28-year-old has a .261 average with 26 homers and 203 RBIs for Texas (2018-21) and the Yankees (2022-23).

A day earlier, Toronto announced its $10.5 million, oneyear contract with Gold Glovewinning center fielder Kevin Kiermaier.