Mikaela Shiffrin Secures 98th World Cup Win in Season-Opening Slalom

American ski star Mikaela Shiffrin dominated the first women’s World Cup slalom of the season on Saturday, November 16, in Levi, Finland, securing her record-extending 98th career win. Shiffrin built a significant lead in the first run, posting the fastest time at three of the four splits on the Levi Black course and finishing 0.60 seconds ahead of Lena Duerr of Germany.

Shiffrin’s performance was marked by her strong and solid skiing, despite feeling a little nervous as it was the first slalom of the season. “It felt good. I felt strong and solid and good energy. Little bit nervous, like first race, first slalom of the season, so I’m happy with how I managed the mentality and pushed with my skiing,” she said.

In the second run, Shiffrin maintained her lead with an aggressive yet controlled performance, ultimately beating 2021 slalom world champion Katharina Liensberger of Austria by 0.79 seconds. Lena Duerr of Germany finished third, 0.83 seconds behind Shiffrin.

This victory marked Shiffrin’s eighth win in the traditional season-opening slalom in Finnish Lapland, where the winner is awarded a reindeer as a prize. Shiffrin has now won 61 slaloms and 98 races overall, both of which are World Cup records across genders.

Olympic champion Petra Vlhova, Shiffrin’s biggest rival in slalom, was absent from the race due to her recovery from knee surgery last season. Despite Vlhova’s absence, Shiffrin remained motivated, acknowledging the strong talent in the field and the legacy of their rivalry.

Shiffrin’s teammate Paula Moltzan and Croatian prodigy Zrinka Ljutic were among the other top performers, though they ultimately finished behind Shiffrin. Moltzan was 0.05 seconds faster than Shiffrin on the flat opening section but lost time on the steep part, while Ljutic struggled in the second run and dropped out of contention.