Shiffrin Wins Again in Are

ARE, Sweden (Mar. 14, 2015)—It felt like spring skiing in Are, Sweden. The sun was out and the snow soft, and the Swedish fans were loud in the last women’s Audi FIS Ski World Cup before the World Cup Finals. Mikaela Shiffrin (Vail, CO) slayed both of her runs, taking her third win in Are and a solid 90-point lead into World Cup Finals.

Shiffrin threw down a blazing first run, skiing in her classic, mistake-less style and took first place by a. 89 seconds over Sarka Strachova of the Czech Republic. But she was determined to not back off. “I’m trying to take each run like it’s my last run,” said Shiffrin after she finished first run. “I’m putting all of my heart into it and ski my fastest and see what happens. I don’t want to have any regrets.”

Third place after first run, Veronika Velez Zuzulova of Slovakia threw down a seemingly unbeatable second run, but it didn’t affect Shiffrin. Instead, Shiffrin built speed throughout the run, taking the win by an unbelievable 1.41 seconds. Velez Zuzulova was second and Strachova was third.

Mikaela Shiffrin takes the win by 1.41 seconds. (Getty Images/Agence Zoom-Nisse Schmidt)

“Sometimes my nerves are worse if I have a big lead,” said Shiffrin in the finish. “I think something is going to go wrong!” But the 20 year old—who had her birthday during the previous day’s GS—had zero mistakes on her second run, even nailing the second to last gate that tripped up so many racers.

Shiffrin’s win gives her a 90-point lead ahead of Frida Hansdotter of Sweden in the slalom World Cup battle. She’ll be racing for her third slalom crystal globe in Meribel, Sweden. With the globe in her fingertips, Shiffrin is ready for Meribel, but she’s staying humble. “I think the first couple races of the season I was pretty arrogant and was like, ‘I’m just going to win these, I guess.’ And I didn’t. I wasn’t even close,” Shiffrin said. “When you’re racing at a high level—or doing any sport at a high level—everybody’s going for the win. I learned that I can’t take my foot off the gas and expect to win. These last races, I was pushing everything. Any race that I won this season, I was giving my entire heart into it. I’m proud of that.”

Paula Moltzan (Lakeville, MN), who is fresh off a World Junior Championships title in slalom, just missed the flip for second run—finishing in 31st place. She was the first U.S. woman to ever win the Junior Worlds slalom; Shiffrin was third when she raced it in 2011. Hailey Duke (Boise, ID) also did not qualify for a second run.

Shiffrin stands atop the podium yet again, flanked by Velez Zuzulova in second and Strachova in third. (Getty Images/AFP-Jonathan Nackstrand)

The ladies are now ready to charge into Meribel, France for the World Cup Finals and look for crystal globes. Downhill training kicks off on Monday, with racing beginning on Wednesday.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Universal Sports will air the slalom at 1:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, and 3:30 a.m. ET on Sunday.
• Mikaela Shiffrin has won the slalom globe in each of the previous two seasons, but no one has won it more than two times in a row in 20 years. Vrenia Schneider of Switzerland took four consecutive women’s slalom globes in 1995.
• Shiffrin can become the first woman to win the world title at World Championships and the World Cup title in slalom in the same season twice.
• This was Shiffrin’s third slalom World Cup win this season.

QUOTES
Mikaela Shiffrin
After first run
It felt really good. Everything was right in place. I had a little bit of nerves in the start—good adrenaline nerves. I felt like someone was chasing me the whole way down and I tried to keep getting faster. That’s a good sign.

Sometimes when I have a lead like eight tenths, I start to think it’s OK to take it back a little bit. I have plenty of time to play with on the course. I’m trying to take each run like it’s my last run. I’m putting all of my heart into it and ski my very fastest and see what happens. I really don’t want to have any regrets.

After second run
I feel really comfortable with my slalom skiing. I think when I ski my best and I’m putting all my heart in the run, I’m picking up speed every single gate. I feel the pressure from the other girls. They’re charging and going as hard as they can. If I don’t do that, I don’t have a chance. I have to put every ounce of energy into it, like I’m chasing somebody or somebody’s chasing me, and it seems to work.

I figured that I [lost some time second run]. I think I heard something in the announcers while I was skiing that I was losing time, and I was like ‘No! You can’t lose time! Go faster!’ So I started finding the rut a little better at the end, but I had to get into a rhythm a little bit to feel comfortable really charging. By the bottom of the course, I could really let it go.

I did some equipment testing and found a set up that works a little better for my style. I found the power of my turns and got that back. Atomic was honestly so supportive in giving me the confidence that I could work with my equipment again and be fine. I think the first couple races of the season I was pretty arrogant and was like, ‘I’m just going to win these, I guess.’ And I didn’t. I wasn’t even close. When you’re racing at a high level—or doing any sport at a high level—everybody’s going for the win. It was the lesson that I learned is that I can’t take my foot off the gas and expect to win. These last races, I was pushing everything. Any race that I won this season, I was giving my entire heart into it. I’m proud of that.

The only point of racing is to go for the win. When I’m actually racing, I’m not thinking about winning. I’m just trying to think about gaining as much time as I can, going as fast as I can and putting effort into every single turn. Then, the wins seem to come pretty well. Meribel is not an easy hill. I trained a little there this season and Veronika Zuzulova was really fast on that hill. I’m actually a little bit nervous, but excited. It’s a good challenge. We’ll see! 

It’s part of human nature that you get greedy. The more you win, the more you want to win. The first race I won here in Are, after that I was like, ‘Alright, I’m started. This is just the beginning.’ That felt like the real start of my World Cup career. I still feel like each race that I win is like a brand new win. It’s familiar, but at the same time, it’s just as exciting. That tells me that I’m not done yet.

RESULTS
Women's slalom results