Mikaela Shiffrin continued her flawless start to the World Cup slalom season, capturing her fourth win in as many races with a commanding night victory in Courchevel, France, on Tuesday.
The American star was again in a class of her own, finishing in a combined time of 1:42.50 and winning by a massive 1.55 seconds. Each of her four victories this season has come by at least 1.2 seconds, with three decided by more than 1.5, an enormous gap in slalom racing.
Switzerland’s Camille Rast placed second, while Germany’s Emma Aicher finished third, 1.71 seconds behind Shiffrin.
Shiffrin set the tone in the opening run, clocking 49.77 seconds to build a huge advantage. She led Rast by 0.83 seconds and was more than a second clear of the rest of the field, with only seven skiers finishing within 2.2 seconds of her after the first leg. Skiing last in the second run, she extended her lead even further to seal the win.
“I’m just pushing,” Shiffrin said on FIS TV. “I’m not asking questions sometimes you just take it and go with it.”
The icy conditions caused trouble for several top contenders. Among those who failed to finish were Croatia’s Zrinka Ljutić, Albania’s Lara Colturi, Germany’s Lena Dürr and Sweden’s Sara Hector.
The victory marked Shiffrin’s fifth consecutive World Cup slalom win, including the final race of last season, reinforcing her status as the clear favorite in the discipline heading toward the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo. It also pushed her career World Cup win total to 105, extending her all-time record and putting her 19 wins ahead of Ingemar Stenmark. Her 68 slalom victories alone place her behind only Stenmark and Lindsey Vonn in overall World Cup wins.
Courchevel also carried significance for Shiffrin, as it was the site of her return from a serious injury last January. She finished 10th in that race, simply relieved to be back. Nearly a year later, she has reclaimed her dominance.
Looking ahead to the Olympics, Shiffrin is aiming for redemption after leaving the 2022 Beijing Games without a medal. She plans to focus primarily on slalom and giant slalom, while also competing in the team combined event. She continues to rebuild her form in giant slalom following her injury and has hinted at possibly adding super-G to her Olympic schedule after a promising, though unfinished, return to the discipline last weekend.
“Hold on to this feeling,” Shiffrin said after her latest win. “There’s still work to do, but it’s also time for a bit of recovery after a busy stretch.”
The women’s Alpine skiing events begin on Feb. 8, with Shiffrin expected to start competition in the team combined on Feb. 10. The slalom is scheduled for Feb. 18.
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