LEVI, Finland (AP) — Mikaela Shiffrin made history on Saturday, claiming her 98th career World Cup victory with a dominant performance in the season’s first women’s slalom. The American ski icon now sets her sights on her 100th career win, with the possibility of reaching that milestone at upcoming races in Killington, Vermont, on November 30 and December 1.
Though Shiffrin’s next race will be a slalom in Austria next week, her milestone victory could very well come at her “hometown” race in Killington, where she honed her skills at the Burke Mountain Academy in her teenage years.
On Saturday, Shiffrin was in a class of her own as she dominated the opening slalom of the World Cup season. Her 98th win extends her record, surpassing the 86 victories held by both male and female skiers combined.
“Such an amazing way to start the slalom season, I’m super happy,” Shiffrin said after her victory.
Shiffrin built on her significant first-run lead with a composed and aggressive second run on the Levi Black course, ultimately finishing 0.79 seconds ahead of Austria’s Katharina Liensberger, the 2021 slalom world champion. Germany’s Lena Duerr, who had been in second place after the first run, dropped to third, finishing 0.83 seconds behind Shiffrin.
Croatian prodigy Zrinka Ljutic, who was in third after the opening run, slipped three spots. Meanwhile, Shiffrin’s biggest rival, Olympic slalom champion Petra Vlhova of Slovakia, sat out the race as she continues her recovery from knee surgery.
Though Shiffrin had led the giant slalom in Austria three weeks ago before ultimately finishing fifth, she was in top form on Saturday. In her final run, Shiffrin extended her lead to an impressive 1.25 seconds before losing a fraction of time toward the finish.
“I was getting twisted sometimes, but I kept fighting. It wasn’t the perfect tempo, but I managed to make some solid turns in the end,” Shiffrin explained. “In the end, it was a solid run in tricky conditions.”
Looking ahead, Shiffrin is gearing up for a grueling schedule, racing every weekend until the World Championships in February. “It’s going to be a big push now. I had a bit of a mental setback in Soelden, but I’m hoping to get the GS (giant slalom) under control,” she said. “Starting the season with a good result in slalom was really important.”
Shiffrin is now on a five-race slalom winning streak, having won the final two slalom events of last season after recovering from a knee injury. Her eighth win in the season-opening slalom in Finland adds to her legacy, with no skier other than Shiffrin or Vlhova winning here since 2014.
When asked about her reindeer prize for winning, Shiffrin smiled and said, “I’ll check with the team and see what everyone thinks.”
Shiffrin’s teammate Paula Moltzan finished eighth, moving down from fifth after a slower second run. Moltzan was initially just 0.05 seconds ahead of Shiffrin in the opening flat section but lost ground on the steeper parts of the course.
American teammates Katie Hensien and Nina O’Brien were both unable to finish their first run. Additionally, ski legend Lindsey Vonn, who recently announced her return to the U.S. ski team after five years of retirement, is expected to race again in the season’s speed events.
