Aicher, Shiffrin, Holdener, Åre / GEPA pictures
American star captures 109th career World Cup victory in final race of the regular season
Mikaela Shiffrin closed the regular World Cup season the way she has so many times before — fast.
The Stifel U.S. Ski Team star won the women’s slalom Sunday in Åre, Sweden, securing her 72nd career World Cup slalom victory and the 109th World Cup win of her career.
Shiffrin entered the second run leading the race and delivered a decisive final performance, posting the second-fastest run of the afternoon to win in 1:43.35.
Germany’s Emma Aicher finished second at +0.94, while Swiss veteran Wendy Holdener completed the podium at +1.00.
The win also strengthened Shiffrin’s position in the race for the overall crystal globe heading into the World Cup Finals.
Åre remains one of the most meaningful stops in Shiffrin’s career. The Swedish resort is where she captured her first World Cup victory, and Sunday marked her seventh career win on the same mountain.
Top five results — Women’s World Cup slalom Åre
- 1st — 🇺🇸 Mikaela Shiffrin (USA), Bib 3, 1995, Atomic, Oakley — 1:43.35
- 2nd — 🇩🇪 Emma Aicher (GER), Bib 10, 2003, Head — +0.94
- 3rd — 🇨🇭 Wendy Holdener (SUI), Bib 6, 1993, Head — +1.00
- 4th — 🇦🇹 Katharina Truppe (AUT), Bib 1, 1996, Völkl — +1.09
- 5th — 🇺🇸 Paula Moltzan (USA), Bib 7, 1994 — +1.83
How did the second run unfold in Åre?
The second run began under clear skies in Sweden, the final regular-season World Cup race before the World Cup Finals fields are finalized.
Italy’s Giulia Valleriani set the first combined time, but the early story quickly became the charge from Martina Dubovská of the Czech Republic.
Twenty-seventh after the first run, Dubovská produced the fastest early second run and surged into the lead with 1:45.71, holding the leader’s chair through 13 racers and moving up 16 positions during the second run.
During that stretch, A.J. Hurt of the Stifel U.S. Ski Team attacked aggressively and briefly moved into second place.
For Alpine Canada, Amelia Smart skied cleanly into the points to close out her World Cup slalom season.
Another American, Katie Hensien, saw her race end when she straddled a gate in the second run.
Eventually Dzenifera Germane of Latvia broke Dubovská’s hold on the race, taking the lead by 0.51 seconds as the final contenders began to race.
How did the podium battle develop behind Shiffrin?
The race tightened dramatically as the final group attacked the course.
Paula Moltzan briefly took the lead despite several small mistakes, holding the advantage by just 0.02 seconds.
Teenager Lara Colturi challenged next but finished 0.26 seconds behind.
Home favorite Cornelia Öhlund energized the Swedish crowd and crossed 0.07 behind Moltzan, sliding into third place at the time.
Then came Wendy Holdener, who delivered one of the cleanest second runs of the race to take the lead by 0.83 seconds.
Austria’s Katharina Truppe nearly matched that performance but lost the advantage in the final sector and finished 0.09 seconds behind Holdener, guaranteeing the Swiss veteran a podium.
With two skiers left, the teenager and the four-event skier, Emma Aicher, surged into the lead by 0.06 seconds, guaranteeing herself at least second place.
How did Mikaela Shiffrin secure victory in the final run?
Last out of the gate was Shiffrin, the first-run leader.
The American immediately extended her advantage in the opening sector, added more time through the middle of the course and controlled the race to the finish.
She crossed the line 0.94 seconds ahead of Aicher, turning what had been a tight podium fight into another dominant victory.
Despite starting last, Shiffrin still posted the second-fastest second run of the race, underlining the strength of her performance.
What did Mikaela Shiffrin say after winning her 72nd slalom World Cup?
After claiming her 72nd career World Cup slalom victory and the 109th World Cup win of her career, Mikaela Shiffrin said the race in Åre required full commitment despite the winning margin.
“I was pretty nervous and pretty excited,” Shiffrin said. “In the end it was challenging to ski, so I pushed really hard. I’m quite happy just to get to the finish.”
The victory came in the final race of the regular World Cup season and extended Shiffrin’s record as the most successful slalom skier in history.
Asked about the consistency she has shown this winter, Shiffrin credited the work behind the scenes.
“It’s a lot of training,” she said. “And for sure it’s the work of my staff, coaches, servicemen and everyone around me.”
With the slalom crystal globe already secured, Shiffrin said the focus now turns to finishing the season strongly and continuing the battle for the overall crystal globe against Germany’s Emma Aicher.
“You can see Emma is skiing incredible in every event,” Shiffrin said. “So we keep the fighting spirit and push through the final races with good energy as a team.”
What did Emma Aicher and Wendy Holdener say after the race?
Second-place finisher Emma Aicher continued her breakthrough season with the best slalom result of her career, finishing just under a second behind Mikaela Shiffrin.
“It feels pretty good,” Aicher said. “The second run was solid. There was a little mistake, but I’m happy with my skiing right now.”
The 22-year-old German said the result reflects how much progress she has made this season.
“I’m pretty proud of where I am right now,” Aicher said. “If you look at last season, I’ve come pretty far, so I’m happy and proud of that.”
Aicher’s runner-up finish keeps her firmly in the fight for the overall crystal globe heading into the World Cup Finals.
For Wendy Holdener, the podium marked a welcome return to form in Åre.
“Back on the podium in Åre,” Holdener said. “I really love racing here, but the last few years I wasn’t quite on point.”
The Swiss veteran said she felt pressure throughout her run but managed to deliver when it mattered most.
“At the first gate I felt, ‘I need this podium, I want this podium,’” Holdener said. “I felt the pressure to give everything, and I’m happy I could manage it.”
Holdener added that she nearly doubted her chances before the start.
“Five minutes before the start I felt I wasn’t in the right headspace,” she said. “So I had to push myself a little.”
What does the result mean for the overall World Cup standings?
Shiffrin’s victory also strengthened her position in the overall World Cup standings.
With the win worth 100 points, the American now leads with 1,286 points, ahead of Emma Aicher with 1,146.
Aicher’s runner-up finish kept her firmly in the title race, but Shiffrin still gained 20 points in the standings.
“You can see Emma is skiing incredible in every event,” Shiffrin said. “So we keep the fighting spirit and push through the final races with good energy as a team.”
The World Cup Finals will now decide the overall title.
Overall World Cup standings after Åre (Top five)
- 1st — 🇺🇸 Mikaela Shiffrin (USA), 1995, Atomic, Oakley — 1,286 pts
- 2nd — 🇩🇪 Emma Aicher (GER), 2003, Head — −140
- 3rd — 🇨🇭 Camille Rast (SUI), 1999, Head — −297
- 4th — 🇮🇹 Sofia Goggia (ITA), 1992, Atomic — −433
- 5th — 🇳🇿 Alice Robinson (NZL), 2001 — −507
Stifel U.S. Ski Team — race results
Shiffrin and Moltzan both secured places in the World Cup slalom finals, finishing the regular season first and fifth in the discipline standings.
- 1st — 🇺🇸 Mikaela Shiffrin (USA), Bib 3, 1995, Atomic, Oakley — 1:43.35
- 5th — 🇺🇸 Paula Moltzan (USA), Bib 7, 1994 — +1.83
Moltzan said the warm spring conditions made the race challenging but was pleased to close the weekend with another strong result.
“Today was sunny, warm and beautiful,” Moltzan said. “I was happy to find some good sections of skiing in salty spring snow — with plenty of mistakes too. But I’m happy to get another top five to complete a solid weekend in Åre.”
The American added that the current level of women’s slalom racing continues to push the field.
- 14th — 🇺🇸 A.J. Hurt (USA), Bib 33, 2000, Head — +2.47
- DNF — 🇺🇸 Katie Hensien (USA), Bib 38, 1999, SHRED — second run
Alpine Canada — race results
For Alpine Canada, Laurence St-Germain finished the regular season 21st in the slalom standings, qualifying for the World Cup Finals in Hafjell, Norway.
- 20th — 🇨🇦 Amelia Smart (CAN), Bib 34, 1998, Atomic — +3.15
Race Results
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Run Analysis: Leaders & Other North Americans
About the Author: Peter Lange
