Shiffrin's performance transcends mere victory each slalom of the Winter Games season. Her control over each race and winning by large margins as well.
An Evening Marked by History-Making Skiing
The Alpine star from the United States secured a 105th record-broadening World Cup victory after a number of her primary challengers failed to finish during the opening run of a evening event on Tuesday.
Shiffrin increased her first-run lead and concluded 1.55 seconds ahead of Swiss skier Camille Rast and 1.71 seconds ahead of German racer Emma Aicher.
"Shiffrin has now won the opening four slaloms of the season – and five straight including the final race of last season," noted analysts.
Commanding Margins of Success
All of her winning leads 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 seconds in Gurgl, Austria; and 1.57 seconds in Copper Mountain, Colorado before her most recent performance in the French Alps.
Rivals Encounter Struggles
Competitors striving to match Shiffrin encountered trouble.
- Lena Duerr, the German skier who was third after the first run, went off course early in her second trip down.
- Lara Colturi, the Italian-born skier who represents Albania, straddled a gate toward the end of her initial run – halting a streak of three consecutive slalom podiums.
- Wendy Holdener managed a seventh-place finish despite a mishap at the end of her first run where she encountered a rut, was launched into the air, and landed on her back.
Reigning World Cup slalom champion Zrinka Ljutic and Olympic silver medalist Katharina Liensberger, the following two competitors, were disqualified midway down the course.
This marks the third straight slalom that Ljutic has failed to finish.
Final Standings
Katharina Truppe of Austria placed fourth and American skier Paula Moltzan climbed from ninth to fifth with the quickest second run of the race.
A Legacy of Accomplishments
This win represented Shiffrin's 68th World Cup slalom victory. Her Games accolades include the slalom gold medal at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and the giant slalom gold four years later at the Pyeongchang Games. She didn’t medal 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 won four medals in her four events at the 2021 world championships.
