‘Everything’s clicking’ – Shiffrin perfect in slalom as Olympic countdown begins

Mikaela Shiffrin has plenty of reasons to feel upbeat as the Christmas period arrives, with the American star enjoying a flawless run in her strongest discipline during a crucial Olympic season.

Shiffrin has been untouchable in slalom so far this winter, winning all four World Cup races she has entered. The perfect start underlines her dominance in the discipline and comes as she continues to rebuild confidence across other events following the most serious crashes of her career.

This weekend, Shiffrin returns to familiar and successful territory at the Austrian resort of Semmering, a venue where she has enjoyed remarkable success. Seven of her record-breaking 105 World Cup victories have come on these slopes, and twice in the past she has completed clean sweeps of three wins in three days — first in 2016 and again in 2022.

Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates after winning first place in a Nov. 30 World Cup slalom race in Copper Mountain, Colorado.
Robert F. Bukaty/AP

This time, the schedule is slightly lighter, with just two races on offer: a giant slalom on Saturday followed by a slalom on Sunday. While slalom remains her strongest event, Shiffrin continues to work toward rediscovering her best form in giant slalom.

Despite holding the all-time record with 22 World Cup giant slalom wins, she has yet to return to the podium in the discipline since a heavy crash in Killington, Vermont, last season. That accident resulted in a deep puncture wound to her side and significant damage to her oblique muscles, forcing a lengthy recovery.

Encouragingly, signs of progress are emerging. Shiffrin has finished fourth twice in giant slalom this season, including a strong showing in the most recent race in Tremblant, Quebec. While not yet back among the medal positions, the results suggest she is steadily closing the gap.

Shiffrin has acknowledged that patience remains key in her comeback. She has explained that continued improvement will come with time and repetition, and she is focused on gradually transferring the confidence and rhythm she has in slalom to other disciplines.

Her return to speed events has also taken a small but meaningful step forward. Recently, Shiffrin competed in a super-G race in St. Moritz, Switzerland, marking her first speed start since crashing during a downhill in Cortina d’Ampezzo nearly two years ago. Although she was on track for a respectable result, a missed gate near the finish ended her run prematurely.

Even so, the outing represented progress and an important part of her long-term plan. Shiffrin is considering whether to add super-G back into her Olympic schedule ahead of the Milan Cortina Winter Games, where the women’s alpine events will take place in Cortina.

With slalom dominance firmly re-established and confidence gradually returning in giant slalom and speed events, Shiffrin enters the post-Christmas period with momentum and optimism. As the Olympics draw closer, her methodical approach and steady improvement suggest she is positioning herself well for another major chapter in her extraordinary career.