Shiffrin leads after first run of WC Finals GS

Mikaela Shiffrin. GEPA pictures.

SOLDEU, Andorra — Mikaela Shiffrin posted the fastest first-run time in the giant slalom at the World Cup Finals on Sunday, positioning herself for a record 21st career win in the discipline.

It is the last race of her long and fantastic season, but she looked as fresh and energized as at any point of the 2023 campaign. Shiffrin was the first to compete and none of the others women could threaten her time.

Shiffrin is halfway to winning her 88th career World Cup victory.

Another race win would see the American set a personal best of 2,206 World Cup points from 31 starts this season, two points more than her tally from 2018-19, when she competed in 26 races.

In the second position is Canadian 2023 Kranjska Gora winner Valerie Grenier. Grenier skied well all season and today descended with technical expertise and power to finish (+0.62) behind Shiffrin.

Two women, Italian Marta Bassino 3rd (+0.63) and Polish athlete Maryna Gasienica-Daniel 4th (+0.64), are only a hundredths or two behind the Canadian.

The time spread between the second and 10th position is only (+0.74) seconds, but if you add Shiffrin to the mix, the top ten differential climbs to (+1.36) seconds.

With the sun beaming down on the Avet course, Shiffrin opened the race in 56.60 seconds to build a lead of more than six-tenths of a second.

“This run felt like the best I can do,” Shiffrin said. “I think it was really quite a bit of luck to draw bib 1 today. For sure, I had the best surface. And I also tried to be really active and take advantage of that.”

The course was not exceptionally difficult, but the terrain proved a challenge some of the best women could not manage. After the first seven had left the start, three of them could not finish. Being among the best seven, it was surprising, but Petra Vlhova, Federica Brignone and Sara Hector ended their 2023 seasons by not finishing.

The other Stifel US Alpine Team members to race are Paula Moltzan, 11th after the first run and Nina O’Brien, who did not finish.

Three of the top seven ranked racers did not finish, as Petra Vlhova, who won Saturday’s slalom, Federica Brignone and Olympic champion Sara Hector all missed a gate.

Lara Gut-Behrami lost a ski pole early in her run after hitting a gate with her left hand but the Swiss skier still posted the sixth-fastest time.

Two-time former world champion Tessa Worley of France was seventh in what she said would be the last race of her career.

Once again, the FIS and the local race crew deserve appreciation for their efforts to provide great racing in a challenging situation. Warm temperatures and overnight snow were no match for the actions of the people working to create a suitable racing surface.

The second run is scheduled for later Sunday.

First run results and analysis of the fastest three and other North Americans

Analysis of the fastest three and other North Americans

The Associated Press contributed to this report.