Mikaela Shiffrin has secured her ninth World Cup slalom season title, setting a new record for most discipline titles, just weeks before the Milan Cortina Games. She clinched the title with two races to spare after a dominant victory in the last slalom before the Olympics.
American skiing star Mikaela Shiffrin has made history by locking up her ninth World Cup slalom season title, becoming the first skier in the six-decade history of the World Cup to achieve nine season titles in a single discipline. This monumental accomplishment comes as the Milan Cortina Games approach. Shiffrin dominated the last slalom before the Olympics in Spindleruv Mlyn, winning both runs and beating runner-up Camille Rast by a significant 1.67 seconds, securing the discipline standings with two races still to go. This victory followed her first giant slalom podium in two years. Despite her recent stellar form, Shiffrin remains pragmatic about her Olympic prospects, stating that the Olympics present a 'totally different challenge' and that she approaches them with an 'open mind.' She plans to compete in slalom, GS, and the team combined events. The Czech venue held sentimental value, being the site of Shiffrin's World Cup debut at age 15 in 2011. Shiffrin's 71 career slalom wins and 108 overall World Cup victories are both standing records for men and women. She maintains her motivation by constantly striving to ski faster, feeling she is near her limit in slalom but still has 'room to grow' in giant slalom. With an insurmountable 288-point lead over Rast, Shiffrin's slalom globe is sealed. The women's World Cup circuit will continue in Crans-Montana with a downhill and super-G before the Olympic break.
