Mikaela Shffrin / GEPA picture
The snow was perfect. The skies blue. The surface held firm from the first bib to the last serious contender.
Mikaela Shiffrin skied like she can.
On a first run that rewarded strength, timing, and commitment, the American delivered a first run that was aggressive, composed, and fully on the limit. Her 47.13 was not just fast — it was complete. By the time she crossed the line, the margin read 0.82 seconds.
That gap did not come from mistakes behind her. It came from unmatched excellence.
“It felt really clean, really active, but also a little bit on the limit,” Shiffrin said. “There were a couple of moments when I thought I could easily be off this course, but I just kept pushing and fighting.”
She won Sector 1. She won Sector 2. She was second in Sector 3. She won Sector 4. There was no defensive skiing at the bottom. Instead, she extended the lead there, gaining three-tenths in the final split alone.
In a tricky mid-course section set by the Austrian coach — a rhythm change that forced athletes to choose between patience and aggression — Shiffrin faced a split-second decision.
Midway down, she made it.
“In that moment I thought, no, you shouldn’t be stopping right now. Keep going, go harder.”
She accelerated through the section rather than absorbing it. She carried speed into the final sections. That decision is why she sits alone at the top of the leaderboard.
She arrived first to inspection this morning. The nerves were there, but contained.
“I felt pretty excited. It’s hard not to be excited for days like today. It’s sunny. It’s just beautiful. I have a little bit of butterflies for sure,” she said. “I’m really focused. Start the gates and the finish — what’s happening between the start and the finish and the rest of it is not important.”
Between those gates, she was unmatched.
Top Five After Run 1
- 🇺🇸 Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) — 47.13
- 🇩🇪 Lena Dürr (GER) — +0.82
- 🇸🇪 Cornelia Öhlund (SWE) — +1.00
- 🇨🇭 Camille Rast (SUI) — +1.05
- 🇸🇪 Anna Swenn Larsson (SWE) — +1.16
Dürr Within Reach, Sweden Charges From the Second Seed
Lena Dürr is the only athlete within a second of Shiffrin at +0.82. The German skied with balance and composure through the middle sections and closed strongly, but she conceded crucial time in the opening sector. On this hill, that early deficit proved decisive.
Behind them, the race compresses quickly.
Cornelia Öhlund, starting from bib 13 in the second seed, produced one of the strongest runs of the day to move into third at +1.00. She attacked the top rhythm and matched Dürr through the first two sectors before losing time in the third.
Sweden doubled its presence when Anna Swenn Larsson slotted into fifth at +1.16, tied on time with Switzerland’s Wendy Holdener just outside the top five.
Camille Rast sits fourth at +1.05, continuing a season that has already included the only slalom victory over Shiffrin this winter.
From +1.00 to +1.64, the margins are tight. Rast, Swenn Larsson, Holdener, Lara Colturi, Emma Aicher, Katharina Huber, and Katharina Truppe remain firmly in contention for a podium move.
The snow held firm from start to finish. There was no late-start deterioration. This was not a survival day. It was an execution day. And the podium will almost certainly come from this group.
The First Run Can Shift Everything
You cannot win the race in the first run. But you can put yourself in contention.
Paula Moltzan showed how quickly momentum can swing. The American was second fastest in Sector 1 and looked aggressive at the top. From there, due to mistakes, she bled time in every split, particularly in the final sector, and now sits +2.77 behind.
Nina O’Brien’s race ended sooner. Starting with bib 30, she straddled in Sector 3 and did not finish.
Olympic slalom demands continuous pressure, strong weight shifts, and absolute commitment. Any hesitation costs time. Sometimes it costs the run.
USA — Run 1
- 🇺🇸 Mikaela Shiffrin — 47.13 (1st)
- 🇺🇸 A.J. Hurt — +2.22 (17th)
- 🇺🇸 Paula Moltzan — +2.77 (28th)
- 🇺🇸 Nina O’Brien — DNF
A.J. Hurt, wearing bib 33, delivered a composed run and sits 17th at +2.22. With an early start number in the second run, she has a real opportunity to climb the standings.
Canada — Run 1
- 🇨🇦 Laurence St-Germain — +2.26 (18th)
- 🇨🇦 Ali Nullmeyer — +2.34 (20th)
- 🇨🇦 Amelia Smart — +2.93 (31st)
- 🇨🇦 Kiki Alexander — +4.61 (42nd)
Laurence St-Germain, the 2023 world champion, showed flashes of speed — particularly through the second sector — but could not sustain it to the bottom and sits 18th at +2.26.
Ali Nullmeyer, working her way back after an injury-affected season, skied solidly and holds 20th at +2.34.
Amelia Smart struggled to generate speed on the flatter terrain and sits +2.93, while Kiki Alexander finished +4.61 back and will miss the second-run top-30 flip.
A Champion’s Return
One of the most meaningful moments of the first run had nothing to do with time.
Petra Vlhová, the reigning Olympic slalom champion from Beijing 2022, returned to individual slalom racing after more than two years away following the serious knee injury she suffered at her home World Cup in Jasná in January 2024.
Wearing bib 22, she fought her way down the hill and crossed at +2.86. When she finished, it was the slowest time on the board.
But the numbers were secondary.
She completed the run. She attacked sections. She stood in the finish after everything it took to get back there.
Sitting 29th after the first run, she is likely to start first in the second run — clean surface, nothing to lose, and a chance to climb.
Elite racing welcomed her back.
The Second Run Awaits
Shiffrin holds control. Dürr remains within reach. The Swedes and Swiss are tightly grouped behind.
The margins are honest. The surface is fair. The standard has been set.
The first run built the separation.
The second run will demand strength, nerve, and the willingness to ski at the limit — all the way to the finish.
First Run Top 31 Results
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First-Run Analysis: Fastest Three and North American Athletes Among the 31 Fastest
About the Author: Peter Lange
