American skier Mikaela Shiffrin showcased her resilience by claiming victory in a challenging World Cup night slalom held in Semmering, Austria, on December 31, 2023. This win marks her sixth consecutive triumph in the slalom discipline, solidifying her dominance as she heads into the new year.
In the first run, Shiffrin found herself in fourth place, trailing the leader, Camille Rast of Switzerland, by over half a second. The course conditions deteriorated rapidly, adding to the difficulty of the event. However, in the evening session, Shiffrin turned the tide by posting the fastest run, ultimately finishing just 0.09 seconds ahead of Rast. Lara Colturi, a talented 19-year-old skier from Albania, secured third place, finishing 0.57 seconds behind Shiffrin.
Reflecting on her performance, Shiffrin remarked, “It was a really hard day today, tough conditions, a really big fight, and the pressure’s on. And oh, I did my best, best possible run.” Despite her initial struggles, she was pleasantly surprised to finish with the best time of the night, stating, “It didn’t feel like good. I didn’t expect to come down with the green light.”
This latest victory ties Shiffrin’s personal best start to a slalom season, mirroring her success in the 2018-19 season. She not only won the final race of the previous season but also dominated the first four slalom events of the current Olympic campaign, winning those by an average margin of 1.5 seconds before clinching this narrow win.
During the first run, Shiffrin was slightly ahead of Rast but lost significant time in the lower section of the course. She assessed her performance, saying, “It’s a pretty tough one. I think, probably, a little bit like overskiing, too round, compared to what’s possible.”
Shiffrin, the 2014 Olympic champion and holder of the women’s World Cup record with 69 slalom victories, has previously won the slalom in Semmering three times, with her most recent win occurring in 2022. This victory further extends her lead in the slalom standings, putting her 220 points ahead of second-placed Colturi.
Looking ahead, the World Cup schedule features three additional slalom races in January before the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, followed by two more events in March. Each race victory is worth 100 points, making every competition critical for Shiffrin and her competitors.
In a surprising turn, Zrinka Ljutic of Croatia, who won the race last season and later captured the slalom globe, finished in eighth place, a significant 3.75 seconds behind Shiffrin. Shiffrin’s teammate, Paula Moltzan, was seventh after the first run but straddled a gate in the second run. This came just a day after she experienced a significant fall during a giant slalom on the same hill, which was won by Julia Scheib of Austria, who does not compete in slalom.
Next weekend, the women’s World Cup circuit moves to Kranjska Gora in Slovenia for both a giant slalom and a slalom, continuing the thrilling season as athletes prepare for the Olympics.
