Mikaela Shiffrin sweeps opening World Cup races with slalom victory
Overall World Cup champion Mikaela Shiffrin claimed the slalom on Sunday for a sweep of the two season-opening races.
Shiffrin posted the fastest time in both runs on the way to her 49th slalom victory just a day after winning another slalom in Finnish Lapland. No other skier has won more titles in a single competition than the 27-year-old Colorado native. She reached her 68th slalom podium, also a record in the women’s competition, one more than compatriot Lindsey Vonn in downhill races.
“I really didn’t expect today,” Shiffrin said. “I mean even after the first run. I think everyone who is racing is so strong right now and there’s so much, actually, a little bit of luck.”
Shiffrin had a slim 0.07 second firstrun lead over Lena Durr, with her rival Vlhova of Slovakia having 0.1sec to make up in the second run in third. The American produced a near perfect second run to hold off the charging Wendy Holdener and beat the Swiss by 0.28sc.
It was the 30th slalom podium for Holdener who still has to win in the discipline. It’s the most World Cup podium finishes without a win in the discipline. Holdener moved up to second from fourth after the second best time in the second run. Slalom Olympic champion and last season’s World Cup slalom winner Vlhova was third, matching her result on Saturday, 0.68sec behind the leader.
Shiffrin leads the overall standings with 200 points, with Holdener second 75 points behind and Vlhova another five points back in third.
With 76 World Cup wins Shiffrin, the four-time overall champion, is only behind Swedish skiing great Ingemar Stenmark (86) and Vonn (82).
Her next chance to add to her records will come in front of a home crowd. The women’s World Cup moves to the United States next weekend for a giant slalom on Saturday and another slalom on Sunday in Killington, Vermont.
Shiffrin and Vlhova have dominated the field in this Finnish resort in recent years. No skier other than Vlhova or Shiffrin has won the traditional season-opening events since then-overall champion Tina Maze triumphed in 2014. Her sixth victory earned the American a sixth reindeer – a traditional prize the winner receives in Levi where Shiffrin also won in 2013, 2016, 2018 and 2019. Vlhova has five wins, and a herd of five. The animals remain on a local farm in Finland.
The two slalom events in Levi opened the women’s World Cup season after all four previously scheduled races were cancelled due to warm weather.