American star Shiffrin Expands Record with Historic 105th World Cup Giant Slalom Win.
Shiffrin's performance transcends mere victory every slalom of the Winter Games season. She’s dominating each race and finishing with considerable leads as well.
A Night of History-Making Performance
The US ski sensation claimed a record-extending 105th World Cup victory after a number of her top challengers were eliminated during the first run of a evening event on Tuesday.
Shiffrin added to her first-run lead and finished over one and a half seconds ahead of Swiss skier Camille Rast and 1.71 ahead of German racer Emma Aicher.
"Shiffrin has now won the first four slaloms of the season – and five straight including the final race of last season," observed analysts.
Commanding Leads of Victory
All of her margins of victory this season have exceeded a full second – with a trio more than 1.5 seconds: a 1.66-second lead in Levi, Finland; 1.23 in Gurgl, Austria; and 1.57 in Copper Mountain, Colorado before her most recent performance in the French Alps.
Challengers Encounter Struggles
Competitors striving to match Shiffrin encountered trouble.
- Lena Duerr, the German skier who was in third place after the first run, went off course early in her second run.
- Lara Colturi, the Italian-born skier who represents Albania, straddled a gate toward the end of her initial run – ending a streak of three straight slalom podiums.
- Wendy Holdener achieved a seventh-place finish even with a mishap at the end of her first run where she hit a hole, was flipped into the air, and landed on her back.
Defending World Cup slalom champion Zrinka Ljutic and Olympic silver medalist Katharina Liensberger, the next two starters, went out midway down the course.
This marks the third straight slalom that Ljutic has not completed.
Final Standings
Katharina Truppe of Austria placed fourth and American skier Paula Moltzan moved up from ninth to fifth with the fastest second run of the race.
An Iconic Career of Accomplishments
This win represented Shiffrin's 68th World Cup slalom victory. Her Olympic accolades include gold in slalom at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and gold in giant slalom four years later at the Pyeongchang Games. She did not reach the podium at the 2022 Beijing Games.
The upcoming winter Olympics' women’s Alpine skiing events will be held in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy – a venue where Shiffrin secured four medals in her four events at the 2021 world championships.
