American skiing sensation Mikaela Shiffrin showcased her dominance in a World Cup slalom event held on the snowy slopes of Colorado, maintaining a flawless record in the discipline for the Olympic season. Shiffrin secured her fourth consecutive victory in slalom, adding to her wins from the previous season and the two initial races of the current season. This triumph marked Shiffrin’s remarkable 104th World Cup win, with 67 of those victories achieved in slalom, solidifying her discipline record.
In the competition, Shiffrin skied through light snowfall, further extending her lead from the first run and clinching victory by an impressive margin of 1.57 seconds over Lena Duerr from Germany, who climbed from ninth position after the initial leg. Supporters at Copper Mountain, just a short distance from Shiffrin’s hometown of Edwards, Colo., displayed signs of encouragement, with one reading “Go Mikaela we love you.” Expressing gratitude to the crowd, Shiffrin described her second run as flawless and extraordinary.
Despite a significant error early in her second run, teenager Lara Colturi from Albania managed to secure third place, finishing 1.85 seconds behind Shiffrin. Wendy Holdener claimed fourth place, followed by Anna Swenn Larsson in fifth. This victory marked Shiffrin’s first win in Colorado in over ten years, with a total of 12 of her World Cup victories achieved in the United States.
Shiffrin’s remarkable performance in Colorado adds to her previous successes, including a victory in the slalom event at the 2015 world championships in Vail-Beaver Creek, Colo. This season marks the fourth occasion in Shiffrin’s career where she has won the opening three slalom races. Looking ahead, Shiffrin is anticipated to shine at the upcoming Milan Cortina Olympics, with the Alpine skiing events taking place in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
In a week filled with emotions, Shiffrin was visibly moved as she watched her fiancé, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, return to competitive skiing after a prolonged absence due to serious injuries. Shiffrin’s upcoming schedule includes competing in two giant slalom races in Tremblant, Quebec, before transitioning back to Europe for the remainder of the season.