American ski star Mikaela Shiffrin asserted her dominance in the first women’s World Cup slalom of the season on Saturday, securing her record-extending 98th career win. Shiffrin capitalized on a substantial first-run lead with a bold yet precise second run down the Levi Black course, surpassing 2021 slalom world champion Katharina Liensberger of Austria by 0.79 seconds. Lena Duerr of Germany slipped from second to third place, 0.83 seconds behind Shiffrin, becoming the last skier to finish within a second of the leader.
“An incredible start to the slalom season, I’m thrilled,” Shiffrin remarked. The two-time Olympic champion had also led the season-opening giant slalom in Austria three weeks prior, but lost her advantage in the second run, finishing fifth. On Saturday, Shiffrin initially extended her lead to an impressive 1.25 seconds early in her final run before relinquishing a few tenths.
“I experienced some twists, but kept fighting. The rhythm wasn’t perfect, but there were enough excellent turns that it worked out well. Ultimately, a very solid run in challenging conditions,” she explained. Shiffrin won both slaloms at the end of last season following her return from a knee injury sustained in a downhill crash in January, securing her eighth World Cup season title in the discipline.
She now boasts 61 slalom victories and 98 overall wins—both records across genders in the World Cup. Shiffrin has triumphed a record eight times in the traditional season-opening slalom in Finnish Lapland, where the winner is awarded a reindeer as a prize. After the first run, Shiffrin expressed, “I felt good. I felt strong and solid with good energy. A bit nervous, being the first race and first slalom of the season, so I’m pleased with how I managed my mindset and pushed with my skiing.”
Croatian prodigy Zrinka Ljutic, who was third after the opening run, dropped three spots. Shiffrin’s teammate Paula Moltzan moved from fifth to eighth position. In the opening run, Moltzan was 0.05 seconds faster than Shiffrin on the flat initial section of the course but lost time on the steep part, ultimately trailing by 0.90 seconds. In the second run, Moltzan recorded the 17th-fastest time, finishing 1.51 seconds behind Shiffrin.
Olympic champion Petra Vlhova, Shiffrin’s primary rival in slalom, did not participate in the race as the Slovakian required more time to recover from knee surgery last season. American standout Lindsey Vonn, who recently announced her return to the U.S. ski team more than five years after her retirement, is expected to compete in speed events later this season.
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