Mikaela Shiffrin secures record-tying eighth World Cup slalom victory
Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin has won her eighth World Cup slalom of the season in Åre, Sweden, equaling the single-season record and extending her overall lead on Sunday.
The American star dominated the final race before the World Cup Finals to beat Germany’s Emma Aicher by 0.94 seconds.
Switzerland’s Wendy Holdener finished a further second off the pace to claim third place on the podium.
Overall title battle intensifies
This crucial victory provides much-needed breathing room in the ongoing battle for the crystal globe.
Aicher’s impressive second-place finish marked a career-best slalom result for the German all-rounder.
She now trails the overall leader by 140 points with just four individual discipline races remaining.
“That was really amazing. I was like pretty nervous, pretty excited, but in the end it was challenging to ski,” Shiffrin said.
“I pushed really hard. Quite happy to get to the finish, too.”
Chasing historic milestones
The dominant technician had already secured her ninth slalom globe earlier this year.
This latest triumph perfectly mirrors her own outstanding eight-win slalom campaign from the 2018-19 season.
Croatian great Janica Kostelic is the only other female skier to achieve that remarkable feat a quarter of a century ago.
The unstoppable record-breaker continues to rewrite alpine skiing history on a weekly basis.
She now boasts an astonishing 109 career World Cup victories, including 72 in her premier discipline.
