Swiss skier Rast stops Shiffrin’s winning streak with narrow win

With just 45 days to go until the women’s slalom at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, the rivalry between Mikaela Shiffrin and Camille Rast is heating up. On Sunday in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, Rast ended Shiffrin’s impressive six-race winning streak in World Cup slalom events, edging out the American star by 0.14 seconds after posting the fastest time in both runs.

Rast, the reigning slalom world champion, had also led Shiffrin in last week’s Austrian event after the first leg, although Shiffrin managed to claw back more than half a second on a deteriorating course to narrowly take the win. This time, however, Rast maintained her first-run advantage to claim her fourth career World Cup victory, her third in slalom. After crossing the finish line, she shared a hug with Shiffrin, highlighting both the intensity and mutual respect between the two athletes.

Shiffrin praised her Swiss rival, noting how Rast’s performance has been steadily improving. “Her skiing is so strong, and it’s been building, building, building,” Shiffrin said. “The last races she had some mistakes that cost time. And today, seeing how she skied the first run, I had to go 120% to have a shot. It was a big, amazing day for her.”

Despite the loss, Shiffrin remained upbeat about her own performance. She raised her fist in celebration after finishing her second run, demonstrating satisfaction with the execution of her plan. “I had a really specific goal for the second run, a little technical thing, and I felt like I accomplished that,” she said. “I pushed as hard as I could. A small mistake here or there didn’t cost time; it was just how hard I was trying. I could feel the turns I wanted to feel.”

Rast’s victory was part of a remarkable weekend for the Swiss skier. The day before, she had secured her maiden giant slalom World Cup win on the same hill, dedicating the triumph to victims of a tragic fire at a bar in Crans-Montana near her hometown of Vétroz, which killed at least 40 people and injured many others. “I gave everything I had this weekend. Double on the same weekend is quite amazing. I’m so happy,” Rast said, emphasizing that her energy and preparation were key to achieving the double success. “It was a little battle, but I had a lot of fun. The slope was amazing, and the preparation was top-notch.”

The two skiers were well ahead of the rest of the field. Rast’s teammate Wendy Holdener finished third, 1.83 seconds behind, earning her first podium in nearly a year. Shiffrin’s teammate Paula Moltzan was fourth and the only other competitor within two seconds of the lead, underscoring how dominant the duo were over the weekend.

Shiffrin herself remains a record-breaking force in the sport. She captured slalom gold at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and holds four world titles in the discipline. Entering the Slovenian race, she had already won the final slalom of the 2024–25 season and the first five of the current World Cup campaign, extending her career tally to 69 slalom wins and 106 overall, both standing as all-time World Cup records.

Not all favorites fared as well. Defending slalom World Cup winner Zrinka Ljutic of Croatia failed to finish for the fourth time in six races this season. Meanwhile, Italian rising star Lara Colturi, representing Albania, fell on her first run on a course designed by her father and coach, Alessandro Colturi, ending her chance at a podium finish. Colturi had reached the podium in four of the previous five slaloms this season, showing just how challenging the course conditions were.

Looking ahead, the next slalom is set as a night race in Flachau, Austria, on January 13, where Rast was victorious last year and Shiffrin has claimed five wins in her career. The final pre-Olympic slalom will take place on January 25 in Czechia, giving both athletes one last opportunity to fine-tune their preparations.

In addition to slalom, the Alpine World Cup schedule continues with downhill and super-G events at another Austrian resort, Zauchensee, next weekend. These competitions will allow skiers to test their speed disciplines ahead of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, offering a complete preview of who might dominate on the Olympic slopes.

With the Olympic countdown under two months away, the Shiffrin-Rast rivalry is shaping up as one of the most compelling storylines of the winter season. Both athletes have shown that they are at the peak of their powers, pushing each other to new heights, and their battles on the slopes are sure to captivate fans as the Olympic Games approach.