Mikaela Shiffrin Grabs 103rd World Cup Win With Huge Slalom Victory In Austria

Mikaela Shiffrin continued her slalom domination pinch a record-extending 103rd Alpine skiing World Cup triumph successful nan Austrian edifice of Gurgl connected Sunday.

Shiffrin is simply a large golden badge dream for nan US squad astatine February’s Winter Olympics, and nan 30-year-old made it 2 retired of 2 for nan play successful slalom pinch different impressively fierce display. She besides won nan last slalom of past season, giving her 3 World Cup victories successful a row.

Lara Colturi, nan 19-year-old who skis for Albania but is nan Italian-born girl of Italy’s 2002 Olympic Super-G golden medallist Daniela Ceccarelli, vanished 2nd pinch Switzerland’s reigning world champion Camille Rast third.

The apical 2 were nan aforesaid arsenic successful nan season’s opening slalom successful Levi, Finland, pinch Shiffrin 0.31 seconds faster than Colturi successful nan first limb and extending her advantage to 1.23 astatine nan decorativeness aft besides going quickest successful nan 2nd run. The podium was besides precisely nan aforesaid arsenic past year’s apical 3 successful nan slalom astatine Gurgl, pinch Shiffrin celebrating her 99th triumph that time.

“I had to push truthful difficult but it was really bully pinch nan sun connected nan 2nd run,” said Shiffrin, whose full tally now features a grounds 66 World Cup slalom victories. “Last twelvemonth I retrieve it was truthful acheronian truthful this was a really bully surprise. It was beautiful overmuch precisely really I expected. Not easy but I knew nan others were pushing truthful there’s nary choice, you person to go.”

The title was Colturi’s 60th successful nan World Cup and she was amazed by her first back-to-back podium.

“The snowfall was really soft and erstwhile I saw it, I had a first inspection and I thought ‘ah, it’s astir apt not my day,” she said.

Croatia’s Zrinka Ljutic, who won past season’s slalom crystal globe, straddled a gross connected nan 2nd tally while Austria’s Katharina Liensberger, nan Beijing 2022 Olympic metallic medallist, grounded to decorativeness nan first run.

The adjacent races connected nan women’s method circuit are successful Copper Mountain, Colorado, astatine nan extremity of nan period and Shiffrin was looking guardant to immoderate clip astatine home.

“I person to get immoderate [giant slalom] training again and I’m really excited to spell to Copper. I enactment successful my ain furniture for nan first clip during nan season,” she said.