Shiffrin Wins Slalom Title with 42nd World Cup Victory

Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.) won a fifth World Cup slalom title following her 42nd FIS Ski World Cup victory Saturday in Ofterschwang, Germany. Shiffrin now holds the record for the most World Cup victories before the age of 23.

Battling spring snow conditions and light rain, Shiffrin won the first run, then unseat second run leader Wendy Holdener of Switzerland by 0.09-seconds for the victory. Sweden’s Frida Hansdotter rounded out the podium in third.

“It was a really good fight,” said Shiffrin, who celebrates her 23rd birthday March 13. “For Wendy, I knew she had a really good run because I could hear the announcers from the top, but I thought ‘not today Wendy!’”

Saturday’s win was Shiffrin’s 31st World Cup slalom victory, and after wrapping up the overall World Cup title with a third-place finish in Friday’s giant slalom, she now has won the World Cup slalom title five times: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018.

“It was an incredible, incredible weekend for sure,” said Shiffrin, who now heads to the World Cup Finals in Are, Sweden next week. “My biggest challenge this year has not been the Olympics, or the (World Cup) overall or any of that, but getting motivated for these last races.

“I’m in a constant chase of skiing my best and skiing free,” she added. “Hopefully, I’m not going to be feeling a lot of nerves (in Are) because there is not a lot of risk. But still every time I get in the start gate I want to perform at my highest level, and that’s the biggest goal there.”

Up next, the women race downhill at the World Cup Finals in Are March 14, followed by super-G March 15; team event March 16; slalom March 17 and giant slalom March 18. 

RESULTS
Women’s slalom
World Cup slalom standings
World Cup overall standings