Mikaela Shiffrin / GEPA pictures
Mikaela Shiffrin is back where she has lived so often in slalom — on top. The 31-year-old American led the first run of the Women’s World Cup slalom in Åre on Sunday, but this race carries a second layer of meaning beyond the discipline standings. Shiffrin has already locked up the slalom title. Emma Aicher, 22, is the skier still trying to turn the overall race into a fight all the way to the end of the season.
That is what made this first run so important. Shiffrin delivered the best time at 50.22. Aicher answered with a strong run of her own and stayed within striking distance at 0.51 back, keeping pressure on the American in the battle for the overall crystal globe.
Top five after the first run
- 1st — 🇺🇸 Mikaela Shiffrin (USA), Bib 3, 1995, Atomic, Oakley — 50.22
- 2nd — 🇩🇪 Emma Aicher (GER), Bib 10, 2003, Head — +0.51
- 3rd — 🇦🇹 Katharina Truppe (AUT), Bib 1, 1996, Völkl — +0.57
- 4th — 🇨🇭 Wendy Holdener (SUI), Bib 6, 1993, Head — +0.70
- 5th — 🇸🇪 Cornelia Öhlund (SWE), Bib 11, 2005, Head — +0.86
How did Shiffrin take control of the first run in Åre?
Katharina Truppe, the first skier out of the elite top seed, set the early standard at 50.79 and immediately showed what the field was facing under blue skies and sunshine in Sweden: a fast, direct course that rewarded clean skiing and punished hesitation.
Nineteen-year-old Lara Colturi followed and skied well, but she finished 0.47 behind Truppe. Then came bib 3, Shiffrin, the most successful slalom skier in history and still at the top of her game after celebrating her birthday on Friday the 13th. She attacked with strength, timing, and balance, crossed in 50.22, and never gave the lead back.
Camille Rast, the only woman to beat Shiffrin in World Cup slalom this season and the Olympic silver medalist, could not match that pace. Rast lost speed where the course demanded it most and finished 1.28 back. Olympic bronze medalist Anna Swenn-Larsson, racing at home, also could not stay close enough and crossed 1.42 behind.
Wendy Holdener, the wily Swiss veteran, delivered one of the best runs among the early starters. She found competitive speed and slotted into the top three at the time, 0.70 behind. Paula Moltzan, Shiffrin’s Stifel U.S. Ski Team teammate, looked balanced and strong but finished 1.11 back.
Then Aicher arrived.
Why was Emma Aicher’s run so significant for the overall race?
The biggest threat to Shiffrin in the second seed came with bib 10. Aicher, 22, who is still chasing the overall title, and she skied like an athlete trying to give herself every possible advantage for the final stretch of the season. Her run was fresh, aggressive, and fast enough to put real pressure on the leader. She crossed just 0.51 back, immediately moving into second place.
That margin matters.
Aicher had already gained five points on Shiffrin in the giant slalom the previous day. If she can keep the slalom loss under control, she heads toward the speed events as one of the strongest downhill and super-G racers in the world. Shiffrin already owns the slalom globe, but the larger fight between the 31-year-old American and the 22-year-old German is now about the overall title. Aicher still has multiple disciplines to swing that battle. Shiffrin may eventually need to answer with more speed-race starts at the finals if the pressure continues.
Where did Shiffrin gain time on Aicher and Truppe?
The sector analysis showed exactly how Shiffrin built this lead.
Aicher was actually fastest in the opening sector, 0.05 ahead of Shiffrin, but the American took over in the middle of the course. Shiffrin posted the fastest second sector and gained 0.21 there. She extended the advantage again in the next section and then finished with the fastest final sector. Aicher’s opening speed was excellent, but the middle of the run is where she lost the run lead.
Truppe’s pattern was different. The Austrian gave away 0.30 in the opening sector, only 15th fastest there, but she skied the rest of the course extremely well and was nearly level with Shiffrin in the final sector. That recovery is why she stayed in the podium fight, just 0.57 off the lead.
Who else moved into position after the first 30 and then the top 30?
Cornelia Öhlund delivered one of the best surprises of the run. The 20-year-old Swede thrilled the home crowd with bib 11 and moved into fifth at 0.86 back, putting herself right in the middle of the podium fight for the second run.
Behind the top five, Lara Colturi sat sixth at 1.04, Moltzan seventh at 1.11, and Zrinka Ljutić eighth at 1.22. Lena Dürr, Sara Hector, and Mélanie Meillard all lost more time than they wanted from the second seed. Katharina Huber was the first major early casualty with a DNF.
The later starters then brought more movement than usual. A.J. Hurt of the Stifel U.S. Ski Team skied a strong run to move into 18th at 2.25 back. Amelia Smart of Alpine Canada followed immediately and finished 19th at 2.26, perhaps her best first runs of the season. Katie Hensien, whose winter was interrupted by an ankle injury, qualified in 24th at 2.64 behind Shiffrin.
By the time the top 30 was finalized, the cutoff sat with Italy’s Giulia Valleriani in 30th at 3.12 back.
Which bib 31+ skiers qualified for the second run?
Several higher numbers broke into the top 30 and earned a second run:
- 17th — 🇭🇷 Leona Popovic Bib 31, CRO, 1997, Völkl
- 18th — 🇺🇸 A.J. Hurt Bib 33, USA, 2000, Head
- 19th — 🇨🇦 Amelia Smart Bib 34, CAN, 1998, Atomic
- 22nd — 🇮🇹 Emilia Mondinelli Bib 54, ITA, 2004
- 24th — 🇺🇸 Katie Hensien Bib 38, USA, 1999, SHRED
- 27th — 🇨🇿 Martina Dubovská Bib 36, CZE, 1992
- 30th — 🇮🇹 Giulia Valleriani Bib 46, ITA, 2004
How did the Stifel U.S. Ski Team perform in the first run?
Shiffrin led the way, as expected, and Moltzan backed her up with a seventh-place run that kept two Americans inside the top seven after run one.
Hurt continued her strong weekend after securing World Cup Finals giant slalom qualification the day before. Hensien also qualified in the final slalom of her World Cup season, an encouraging result after the ankle injury that interrupted her winter.
Nina O’Brien did not make the second run in the final World Cup slalom of her season. Liv Moritz did not start. Elisabeth Bocock also missed the qualifying time, which brought her World Cup season to a close, though the young American leaves the period with notable momentum after winning Junior World Championships giant slalom silver last week.
Stifel U.S. Ski Team — first-run results
- 1st — 🇺🇸 Mikaela Shiffrin (USA), Bib 3, 1995, Atomic, Oakley — 50.22
- 7th — 🇺🇸 Paula Moltzan (USA), Bib 7, 1994 — +1.11
- 18th — 🇺🇸 A.J. Hurt (USA), Bib 33, 2000, Head — +2.25
- 24th — 🇺🇸 Katie Hensien (USA), Bib 38, 1999, SHRED — +2.64
- DNQ — 🇺🇸 Nina O’Brien (USA), Bib 30, 1997 — +3.79
- DNQ — 🇺🇸 Elisabeth Bocock (USA), Bib 42, 2005 — outside top 30
- DNS — 🇺🇸 Liv Moritz (USA), Bib 49, 2004
How did Alpine Canada fare in Åre?
Smart delivered the Canadian highlight with a clean, aggressive run that put her safely into the second run in 19th. The rest of the team had a harder day.
Laurence St-Germain, the 2023 world champion, struggled with a few inefficient moves onto the right ski that cost her both speed and time. She initially looked near the bubble but ultimately did not qualify for the second run. Ali Nullmeyer’s injury-hit season ended with a frustrating straddle. Sarah Bennett did not finish. Kiki Alexander also missed the second-run cutoff.
Alpine Canada — first-run results
- 19th — 🇨🇦 Amelia Smart (CAN), Bib 34, 1998, Atomic — +2.26
- DNQ — 🇨🇦 Laurence St-Germain (CAN), Bib 17, 1994 — +3.25
- DNF — 🇨🇦 Ali Nullmeyer (CAN), Bib 32, 1998
- DNF — 🇨🇦 Sarah Bennett (CAN), Bib 47, 2001
- DNQ — 🇨🇦 Kiki Alexander (CAN), Bib 57, 2001
Can anyone stop Shiffrin in the second run?
That is still the central question, but Aicher made sure the answer is not automatic.
Shiffrin has already secured the slalom crystal globe and came into Åre with 71 World Cup slalom wins before today, more than anyone in history. She again looked untouchable in stretches of this run. But Aicher is close enough to attack, Truppe and Holdener remain within reach of the podium, and Öhlund has given the home crowd something real to believe in.
The discipline title is settled. The first-run story in Åre is bigger than that: Shiffrin still leads the overall, but Aicher is coming.
First Run Top 30 and Ties
click images to enlarge
Run Analysis: Leaders & Qualified North Americans
About the Author: Peter Lange
