Mikaela Shiffrin Flachau GEPA pictures/Harald Steiner

Stifel US Ski Team’s Mikaela Shiffrin overcame a (+0.07) first-run deficit to Slovakian Petra Vlhová to earn her career-fifth Flachau slalom victory. After a very emotional week focusing on her boyfriend Aleksander Aamodt Kilde’s health and spending time with him in a Bern, Switzerland hospital, she finds herself inspired and at the top of her game. Shiffrin increases her World Cup career win total to 94. Also, Shiffrin now has a career 57 World Cup slalom victories and tied Ingemar Stenmark’s record with 81 slalom podiums.

Fighting back tears Shiffrin said, “I’m really proud of this evening and very thankful for my whole team.”  She continued, “These last days have been very challenging. They’ve been so supportive and helped me go see Aleks.”

Vlhová is skiing exceptionally but could not match Shiffrin’s speed and determination tonight. It is excellent to watch Shiffrin perform but even better because we have Vlhová to compare her to. Both women bring so much to the sport. Today, Shiffrin delivered her fourth slalom victory of the season but Vlhová has won three. The battle is that good.

“For people who are watching, it’s something amazing,” Vlhova confessed.

Shiffrin commented, “I knew she (Vlhová) would be strong, so in the end, it comes down to some bits of luck as well, and there were some things that were not perfect for her.”

The first two women from the first run top ten were unable to finish the course. Unfortunately, one of them was Stifel US Ski Team’s AJ Hurt. Hurt earned her first World Cup podium in the last slalom in Kranjska Gora. After the first run, she was in a position to repeat her recent success, but it was over before she completed the first timing sector.

The first of the first run’s ten fastest to assume the lead was Switzerland’s Michelle Gisin. With just five skiers remaining to ski, she earned a (-0.45) lead over her teammate Camille Rast. The next to ski was the home country hero, Austrian Katharina Liensberger. She had the crowd exploding excitedly but crossed the finish with the third-fastest time.

Next to ski were the two Swedish women; both had finished the first run within a second of the leader, Vlhová. Sara Hector crossed into the finish with a (-0.27) lead. At that moment, the three racers remaining at the top would decide the outcome. Her teammate Anna Swenn Larsson skied well but crossed the finish line in third, guaranteeing Hector her career first slalom podium. However, the world’s two best had not yet skied. Notably, the Swedish woman who earned her first World Cup podium finished only (+1.11) behind the most successful slalom skier in history.

“A podium in slalom, I’m so happy,” Hector said. “You never know if you’re going to make it in your life. I was nervous all day a little bit, and normally, I’m not always so nervous for slalom races as I am for GS races. But I thought it could be a really good day today and it turned out amazing.”

Big moves during the final run.

The lead changed regularly among the first five to ski the second run. However, the fifth racer on the course, Italian skiing for Albania, Lara Colturi, earned the lead and started a significant climb up the leaderboard. With the first ten racers in the finish, she enjoyed a (-0.43) lead. Once the first 15 women finished their second run, Colturi maintained a (-0.32) advantage. Finally, the 17th skier to race the course bib 50, Latvian, Dzenifera Germane, bumped Colturi off the leader’s chair.

Seventeen-year-old Colturi gained 17 positions during the final run and finished 9th. Colturi suffered a season-ending knee injury a little over a year ago but has clearly recovered.

The other racer who gained many places in the finale was France’s Marie Lamure. Lamure gained 16 positions and finished the race in 11th.

The Stifel US Ski Team’s head women’s tech coach, Magnus Andersson, set the second run. He reported that the snow was perfect, the course was rhythmical, and the final 18 gates were straight. Magnus was undoubtedly setting for his rising star, AJ Hurt, who unfortunately could not finish.

Canadian women

Also, unfortunately, the fastest Canadian from the first run, Ali Nullmeyer, was skiing well but had trouble in the third timing sector and skied off-course. However, her teammate Amelia Smart could move up four positions and finished 20th (+4.23), protecting her place in the season’s top 30.

Mikaela Shiffrin’s remarkable comeback secured her fifth career Flachau slalom victory, overcoming challenges on and off the slopes. She continues to make history with 94 World Cup wins and 57 of those victories are in slalom. The intense competition with Petra Vlhová added excitement, showcasing the best of women’s skiing. Rising stars Lara Colturi and Marie Lamure also made their mark in a thrilling event. Shiffrin’s triumph and other skiers’ resilience made Flachau a memorable chapter in the World Cup season.

Flachau night slalom results and analysis of the fastest three and North Americans

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Analysis of the fastest three and North Americans