American skier Mikaela Shiffrin showcased her dominance in a World Cup slalom held on home snow in Colorado, maintaining a flawless record in the discipline for the Olympic season. Shiffrin secured her fourth consecutive slalom victory, adding to her earlier wins this season and the final event of the previous season. This triumph marked Shiffrin’s 104th World Cup win and her 67th slalom victory, both extending existing records.
Despite challenging conditions with moderate snowfall, Shiffrin widened her lead in the second run, finishing a remarkable 1.57 seconds ahead of Germany’s Lena Duerr, who surged from ninth place in the initial leg. Spectators at Copper Mountain, near Shiffrin’s hometown of Edwards, Colo., cheered her on with signs expressing admiration.
In a remarkable display of skill, teenager Lara Colturi of Albania overcame an early mistake in her second run to secure third place, trailing Shiffrin by 1.85 seconds. Wendy Holdener claimed fourth place, followed by Anna Swenn Larsson in fifth position. Notably, this victory in Colorado marked Shiffrin’s first win in the state in over ten years, with a total of 12 of her World Cup victories achieved in the U.S.
Shiffrin’s impressive track record also includes winning the slalom at the 2015 world championships in Vail-Beaver Creek, Colo. This season marks the fourth time Shiffrin has won the first three slalom races, following previous achievements in the 2018-19, 2016-17, and 2019-20 seasons.
Looking ahead, Shiffrin is anticipated to shine at the upcoming Milan Cortina Olympics from Feb. 6-22, where the women’s Alpine skiing events will take place in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. Following her strong performance, Shiffrin is set to compete in two giant slalom races in Tremblant, Quebec, before heading back to Europe for the remainder of the season.