Shiffrin returns from injury to win record-equalling eighth world slalom title
Mikaela Shiffrin made a triumphant return to the Alpine Skiing World Cup after six weeks of injury, dominating the penultimate slalom of the season for career win 96 and securing her record-equalling eighth season title in the discipline.
Racing for the first time since hurting her left knee on a downhill in Italy, the American star posted the fastest times in both runs on Sunday, beating Croatian prodigy Zrinka Ljutic by a whopping 1.24 seconds and third-placed Michelle Gisin of Switzerland by 1.34 seconds. .
“It was so fun to race again today and feel some of the nerves and all the emotions I was hoping for,” Shiffrin said. “Really proud of my team, and certainly proud of myself to come back here and show off the skiing. The second run was some of my best skiing. I’m so happy that I can do that again this season.”
Shiffrin had been out since spraining the MCL and tibiofibular ligament in her knee in January, while also still recovering from a bone bruise suffered at the start of the season.
“I felt great skiing my first run, but if I could be a little cleaner it would feel better, including on the knee, so this run was like… I wouldn’t change a thing,” said Shiffrin.
With her Slovakian rival Petra Vlhova out for the season after knee surgery, Lena Duerr was the American’s only remaining challenger for the slalom season title.
The German skier needed to win both Sunday’s race and the season-ending slalom at the World Cup finals in Austria next weekend to stay in contention, but finished fourth, 1.35 behind Shiffrin.
The season title is Shiffrin’s eighth in slalom, making her the fourth skier to win eight Crystal Globes – the traditional prize in alpine skiing – in one classification.
Former American teammate Lindsey Vonn achieved this feat in the downhill. On the men’s side, Austrian standout Marcel Hirscher won eight overall championships, and Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark achieved that number of titles in both slalom and GS.
The slalom title will be Shiffrin’s only globe win this season. She skipped Saturday’s giant slalom on the same hill and will not compete in the final’s speed events, leaving her without enough races to close the 345-point gap on leader Lara Gut-Behrami. The Swiss star is close to securing her second overall title after winning it for the first time in 2016.
Shiffrin positioned herself for Sunday’s victory by posting the fastest runtime in the first tun, beating Gisin by 0.02 seconds and Ljutic by 0.11.
“It’s quite special. I have been fortunate enough to be able to race again this season and I am really enjoying it. I’m enjoying being back and my knee is holding up, it’s doing a good job for me,” Shiffrin said after the opening stage.
“I was pushing the whole way, and when I feel the knee it doesn’t distract me from skiing or from pushing my skis, so that’s perfect.”
Shiffrin had only “four normal slalom sessions in the last seven weeks” going into Sunday’s race.
“Right now I feel really good about my skiing, but I just haven’t practiced much yet, so maybe it will take a little more energy to get to that level there,” she said.
Shiffrin had previously made a winning return after an extended mid-season break due to a knee injury. She did not race for nine weeks after being injured in December 2015, but won her comeback race in a slalom in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, in February 2016.
The World Cup finals for both women and men will conclude the season over the next two weeks in Saalbach, the Austrian host venue of the 2025 world championships.