American skiing sensation Mikaela Shiffrin is set to compete in her home races in Colorado next week, leading the overall World Cup standings with two consecutive victories.
Shiffrin showcased her dominance in slalom by securing her second consecutive win in the discipline at the start of the Olympic season in the Austrian Alps. She clocked a time of 1 minute 48.11 seconds, finishing 1.23 seconds ahead of Lara Colturi, an Italian skier representing Albania.
Having also claimed victory in the season’s first slalom event in Finland a week earlier, Shiffrin expressed satisfaction with her performance, labeling it as some of her best slalom skiing to date. With this win, she notched her 66th World Cup victory in slalom and her 103rd overall, setting new records in both categories.
Swiss skier Camille Rast finished third in the race with a time of 1:49.52, trailing Shiffrin by 1.41 seconds. The podium lineup mirrored that of last year’s competition in Gurgl.
Shiffrin’s upcoming events include a giant slalom on Saturday and a slalom on Sunday at Copper Mountain, which serves as the primary training base for the U.S. ski team.
In a tight first run, Shiffrin held a slim lead of 31-100ths of a second over Colturi, but she extended her advantage significantly in the final leg by adopting an aggressive approach on the slopes.
Shiffrin and Colturi now occupy the top two positions in both the slalom and overall rankings after three events. Meanwhile, Paula Moltzan, another member of Shiffrin’s team, secured third place in the latest race.
Looking ahead to the Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina in February, Shiffrin revealed her intention to focus on slalom and giant slalom events, with a possibility of competing in super-G as well.
Despite facing stiff competition and challenging conditions, Shiffrin’s stellar performances have solidified her status as a dominant force in the world of skiing, inspiring admiration from her rivals like Colturi.
Colturi, who overcame a significant injury to return to form, praised Shiffrin’s excellence on the slopes, emphasizing the difficulty of matching her level of perfection. The Italian skier’s journey back to the podium is a testament to her resilience and determination in the face of adversity.