Shiffrin Takes Slalom World Cup Win No.60
In the final slalom race of the 2023-24 season on Saturday, March 16, Mikaela Shiffrin earned her 97th career World Cup victory and was officially awarded her record-equaling eighth slalom Crystal Globe.
After missing six weeks of racing due to an injury sustained in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy in January, Shiffrin came to win, once again flaunting her slalom prowess with victory 96 in Are, Sweden. She backed that up on Saturday with yet another slalom win at World Cup Finals in Saalbach, Austria, closing the season in spectacular fashion.
“It is incredible,” Shiffrin reflected on her 97th career victory. “It’s a lot of work for the whole team. Situations like this, for me, with this season, you have to rely on the people around you supporting you so much. It’s always that way, but when you’re trying to come back from an injury, and it’s kind of a rush, and it’s stressful, and it’s important for everyone… It just shows even more how important the support system around me is working, and I’m so grateful for it. I’m so happy to have these final two races, which is giving us something to be really proud of going into the prep season.”
Warm temperatures and soft snow created challenging conditions for all of the athletes on Saturday, and was a battle for the race organizers to keep the track firm. Despite several DNFs, Shiffrin, who was sitting in second coming into her final run of the day, was able to turn on the heat and take the win ahead of Norway’s Mina Fuerst Holtmann in second, .54 seconds off of Shiffrin, and Sweden’s Anna Swenn Larsson in third, .63 off the pace.
It was a season to remember. Shiffrin grabbed her 16th career Crystal Globe and had nine World Cup victories and 15 World Cup podiums this season across three disciplines. Saturday’s win brings her slalom win tally to 60 victories and 152 podiums. There were highs and lows, and Shiffrin now looks ahead to the 2024-25 prep period.
The enforced break certainly has not done her skiing any harm. After winning in Are, Sweden seven days ago, the recently turned 29-year-old defied tough visibility and soft, wet snow in Austria to finish more than half-a-second clear of Mina Fuerst Holtmann (NOR), with first run-leader Anna Swenn Larsson (SWE) sliding to third.
“It’s been a wild season. I am really happy to be sitting here and happy for the final race of the season to go so well,” Shiffrin added.
Having declared she will not race in Sunday’s giant slalom or indeed next weekend’s final speed races, Shiffrin ends the season with seven slalom wins (out of 10 starts) plus downhill and GS victories. Enough to leave her second in the race for the overall Crystal Globe and with her eighth slalom Crystal Globe already pocketed.
It is no wonder she wishes it was October already. “I am excited to see Alex and for some things to come in the next weeks and over the summer. I am excited to go home, I was not home since October 1st, so really excited to go home but I don’t want the season to be over,” she said before reflecting on what the season has taught her.
“There is always something from every season and this one taught me a lot about patience, trust, a lot about trust. A lot about communication and learning how to manage pain and still ski. Those are really important things that I hope will be useful for the rest of my career.”
Holtmann is another heading to the beach dreaming of more snow. Eighth after the first run, the 28-year-old produced one of her best runs of her career to catapult into second and prove to herself that a new approach is working.
“First of all, I really love these conditions, so I am lucky with that (but) I was just focusing on what to do and I was being really, really strict with myself and that’s working,” the Norwegian said.
“Because I am usually losing my head and doing too much (but) now it’s like ‘just stay with the task’ and it worked.
“It’s a huge relief for me and the whole team.”
It is comfortably the best result of the season for Holtmann, whose only other slalom podium came more than two years ago.
Swenn Larsson is far more used to such dizzy heights and the Swedish veteran admitted to some disappointment at having failed to turn a stellar first run into an even higher finish.
“I am not happy with my second run. I know that I could have been battling with Mikaela (Shiffrin) today and it’s a shame that I didn’t,” said the 32-year-old who bled time throughout the heavily rutted lower section.
But a third podium in her final four races – a stretch that included her first ever solo slalom victory – after struggling with injury during the mid-part of the season has given the veteran plenty of fire for what’s to come.
“It was really tough times there and I was thinking should I continue or should I stop the season. I am really happy that I didn’t, that I fought back and my body started working really well again,” she said.
“Now I will train even harder to be fighting at the top next year.”
Neja Dvornik (SLO) will be dreaming of joining her next season. After career best finishes of 10th and then ninth in January and February respectively, the Slovenian produced the run of the afternoon to jump from 21st at the halfway stage to end fourth overall.
But the final word of the slalom season goes to Lena Duerr (GER). The German knew all she had to do to leapfrog the injured Petra Vlhova (SVK) and secure a best-ever finish of second in the season-long standings was end in the top 15 in Saalbach.
After a perhaps understandably nervy display, the 32-year-old finished 15th, three points clear of the Slovakian.
America's Paula Moltzan also started in Saturday’s slalom and skied a solid seventh-place first run within striking distance of the podium. She was having a blazing fast second run, leading the second split by .55, when she straddled and did an acrobatic recovery to stay on her feet. Thankfully, she is OK and will start in Sunday’s giant slalom.
