Shiffrin on verge of record-equalling Overall title after ninth Slalom win

Mikaela Shiffrin (USA/Atomic) took a huge step towards achieving one of her most cherished goals, with victory in the Slalom at the Audi FIS World Cup Finals in Hafjell, Norway taking her to within touching distance of a record-equalling sixth Overall Crystal Globe.

Having had to largely sit and watch as rising star Emma Aicher (GER/Head) took advantage of a speed-heavy schedule post-Olympic Games to reduce her lead in the season-long standings to just 45 points with two races left, Shiffrin stood at the start gate on Tuesday under significant pressure.

Any misstep from the skier crowned Slalom World Cup champion back in January would open to the door to a German who’s preceding four World Cup results read: fourth in Giant Slalom, second in Slalom, fifth in Downhill and fourth in Super G.

But while Aicher has had her remarkable all-round skills to thank for her elevation to the very top tier this season, Shiffrin has the greatest Slalom skills of all-time to rely on. And when it mattered most, they were there in abundance. The nine-time Slalom Globe winner producing a two-run masterclass to demolish the field by a margin of 1.32 seconds.

A ninth Slalom win of the season, the 73^rd of her career – both all-time World Cup records – takes Shiffrin 85 points clear of Aicher, who was third on Tuesday, just four-tenths-of-a-second behind the in-form Wendy Holdener (SUI/Head).

All of which means Shiffrin only has to finish in the top-15 in Wednesday’s Giant Slalom, the final race of the women’s season, to be crowned the Overall World Cup champion for the sixth time, matching her childhood hero Annemarie Moser-Pröll (AUT).

‘Grateful’ Shiffrin taking nothing for granted

After guaranteeing her ninth Slalom Globe – something no other skier male or female has matched in any discipline ever –on 25 January in Spindleruv Mlyn, the American underlined in Hafjell that she is the greatest.

A stunning run one, where she found a tempo to create pace that none could match on a long, demanding course, gave the 31-year-old a 1.10 second advantage over the field. A lead she never looked like relinquishing. Holding little back in run two, Shiffrin looked in command throughout, flowing down to the finish to win by 1.32 seconds.

Like most of her career, Shiffrin has been almost untouchable on the Slalom skis this season. Five wins to start the season were only interrupted by a shock second-place in Kranjska Gora in early January, when Rast got the better of her by a tiny 0.14 seconds.

It proved the only time all season that Shiffrin gave up the top step in a Slalom race. Remarkably six of her nine wins were secured by a margin of more than a second, while she won the Olympic gold in February by 1.50 seconds.  

“This season has been so exciting, quite like a whirlwind with all the wonderful races that we had, and with the Olympics and everything,” Shiffrin said. “It's been really pushing at a high level for a long time, and I am grateful for it. I'm grateful to have the chance to be getting into the start each time, and to push my own level.”

It is 17 Globes so far for the 31-year-old.

“I’m really proud to display these for sure, they’re in different spots around the house,” Shiffrin said.

And while she knows Aicher needs to win tomorrow’s GS and hope Shiffrin finishes 16^th or lower, the American is not taking number 18 for granted.

“I’m actually not confident at all, you saw today anything can happen,” Shiffrin said. “I never skied on this slope in GS, it looks not super easy.

“So, I have to have good tactics, a good mentality, to try to have some energy in the muscles, and then to give full gas, like big energy. But nothing is secure, we just breathe and see.”

Aicher continues to have ‘fun’

While Shiffrin stands alone at the top, few in the history of the sport have matched the accolades Aicher is starting to stack up across the disciplines.

Aged just 22, the German has five wins (three in Super G and two in Downhill) and eight other podium finishes (five in Slalom, two in Downhill and one in Super G) in just over 12 months. Add on the recent fourth place finish in GS in Are and it is clear Aicher is all set to continue to challenge Shiffrin for the Big Globe in years to come.

“There’s a new era of the greatest Overall skier and I am so excited to see what she does in the future,” Shiffrin said of her rival.

For Aicher, another podium in a discipline in which she had never finished inside the top-three until this season, is just another step forwards.

Swiss stars shine

Meanwhile, Switzerland’s Camille Rast (Head) – who secured second place in the Slalom Globe – was still revelling in the fact she beat Shiffrin earlier this season.

That win, plus four World Cup Slalom podiums, a World Cup GS triumph and a further three GS podiums, alongside an Olympic Slalom silver all came despite the Swiss star battling the lingering effects of injury.

“At the beginning of the season I can’t imagine to perform that well in both disciplines,” Rast said. “I had a difficult summer after my crash at the end of last season. Everything worked quite well and I am happy, but I can’t wait to train 100% without pain, without anything, just have fun on my skis.”

Her compatriot Holdener is another looking forward to summer training. The five-time Olympic medal winner took some time to get going this season, but finally found her best in the closing stretch.

“When you see the results, the worst result was an eighth place in Levi. A few fourth places that were not the best races but I am really, really happy I could finish the season strong in Are and here, that gives me motivation for the summer training,” said the skier who finished third in the Slalom Globe standings.

“The first races in this season, I thought too much. I mean I am 32 years old, the legs know what to do.”

Elsewhere, Katharina Truppe finished fourth on the day and in the standings, to end her best Slalom season. While Anna Trocker (ITA/Salomon) took just 2:10.48 to highlight her thrilling potential. Just 10 days after securing a Slalom and GS golden double at the FIS Junior World Ski Championships, the 17-year-old grabbed a World Cup top-10 finish. 

Check out the full results from the women’s Slalom in Hafjell here, with the final women’s Slalom Crystal Globe standings here.

Also, do please head to Reuters Connect and Actionpress.de to view and purchase a wide selection of photographs from this race and from all FIS events.