Mikaela Shiffrin concluded one of the most demanding and emotionally charged seasons of her career with a dominant performance on Thursday, securing victory in the slalom event at the Women’s World Cup finals in Sun Valley. This triumph marked her 101st career World Cup win, further extending her record as the most successful skier in the competition’s history.
The 30-year-old American exhibited remarkable precision and control on a challenging and technical course. She posted the fastest time in the opening run and maintained her composure in the second, finishing with a combined time of 1:45.92. Her winning margin of 1.13 seconds over Germany’s Lena Dürr was her largest in any slalom race this season. Slovenia’s Andreja Slokar completed the podium in third place.
Shiffrin had a strong start to the season, winning the first two slalom races. However, her campaign was significantly disrupted after a severe crash during a giant slalom event in Killington, Vermont, on November 30. The accident resulted in torn oblique muscles and a deep puncture wound that narrowly missed vital organs, forcing her to miss two months of competition. While she eventually recovered physically, the emotional toll of the crash lingered for much longer.
In February, Shiffrin was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), just days before she reached the milestone of her 100th career World Cup win in Sestriere, Italy. That victory was a testament to her resilience, but Thursday’s win in Sun Valley may have held even greater significance. This was her final race of the season and only her sixth slalom start, yet she managed to win four of those races, reaffirming her dominance in the technical disciplines.
Despite her impressive comeback, Shiffrin was unable to reclaim the season’s slalom title, a trophy she has won a record eight times. Instead, that honor went to 21-year-old Zrinka Ljutić of Croatia. Ljutić, who placed 10th in the Sun Valley race, secured her first crystal globe by maintaining a 32-point lead over Austria’s Katharina Liensberger in the season standings. Reflecting on her achievement, Ljutić admitted, “I sort of knew I would win it. I just didn’t know how – and that made me nervous.”
Even with her limited participation in the season, Shiffrin still managed to finish fourth in the slalom standings, an impressive feat given the time she spent recovering from injuries. Over her career, she has now reached the World Cup podium 156 times—more than any skier in history. Her performance in slalom remains particularly dominant, as she has finished in the top three in 89 of her 118 career slalom races, a staggering podium rate of over 75%.
Shiffrin’s comeback was not without additional challenges. She finished 10th in her first race after returning to competition on January 30. She also endured more crashes during training for the February World Championships, including one incident that required her to pass concussion protocol. Despite these setbacks, she managed to win gold in the team combined event alongside her U.S. teammate Breezy Johnson and finished fifth in the slalom at the World Championships.
Shiffrin’s latest victory in Sun Valley was not only a demonstration of her remarkable talent but also a symbol of her resilience, determination, and ability to overcome adversity.
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