Mikaela Shiffrin’s slalom winning streak ends with second place in Kranjska Gora

Mikaela Shiffrin’s remarkable run of slalom victories has finally come to an end after she finished second in Sunday’s World Cup race in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia. For the first time this season in her strongest discipline, the American superstar was beaten, bringing a close to a streak that had stretched across multiple events and even back into last season.

Shiffrin entered the race having won every slalom she contested during the current World Cup campaign, along with the final slalom of the previous season. That sequence had made her the dominant figure in the discipline once again, setting a benchmark that few believed could be matched. However, on January 4, Swiss skier Camille Rast delivered a performance strong enough to halt that momentum.

The margins at the finish were razor-thin. Shiffrin crossed the line just 0.14 seconds behind Rast, who claimed victory after an intense second run. Despite seeing her streak snapped, Shiffrin reacted with grace, smiling as Rast finished before embracing her rival at the bottom of the course.

The win capped a sensational weekend for Rast, who had already taken first place in Saturday’s giant slalom. Securing back-to-back victories not only underlined her growing confidence but also significantly tightened the race at the top of the overall World Cup standings. Shiffrin still leads, but her advantage over Rast has been reduced to 120 points, down from nearly 200 just a week earlier.

Over the past two weeks, Rast has firmly established herself as Shiffrin’s most serious challenger in slalom. Their rivalry has produced some of the most compelling racing of the season, with tiny margins and contrasting approaches defining each contest. Just one week earlier, Shiffrin had staged one of the most impressive comebacks of her career to preserve her winning run.

In that earlier race, Shiffrin trailed Rast by more than half a second after the opening run. Against almost any other competitor, such a deficit might have been decisive. Instead, Shiffrin delivered a fearless second run, overturning the gap and winning by less than a tenth of a second. It was a reminder of her ability to perform under pressure and why she has dominated slalom for more than a decade.

This time, though, Rast refused to let history repeat itself. She set the tone early, carving out a narrow advantage of 0.10 seconds after the first run. While that margin was small enough to be considered vulnerable, it reflected her sharper approach through the lower section of the course, where she skied with greater aggression than Shiffrin.

Shiffrin attacked the second run with intent, posting one of the fastest times of the day and appearing poised to reclaim the top spot. Her rhythm and speed suggested another late surge was on the way, but a minor error proved costly. Near the top of the course, she drifted slightly wide around a gate, a momentary lapse that disrupted her line and shaved precious time off her run.

That brief opening was all Rast needed. Although she momentarily fell behind Shiffrin at the midway point, the Swiss skier regained her composure and accelerated through the final section. Her push to the finish was fierce and controlled, and when she crossed the line, it was clear she had done enough to secure the win.

As Rast lunged across the finish, the reality set in that Shiffrin’s slalom streak had come to an end. The result marked not just a single race victory for Rast, but a shift in the competitive dynamic of the discipline. Slalom, long defined by Shiffrin’s dominance, suddenly has a genuine challenger capable of matching her on consecutive weekends.

For Shiffrin, the second-place finish does little to diminish her standing. She remains the leader in the slalom and overall World Cup rankings and continues to set the standard for consistency and excellence. Yet the race served as a reminder that even the most dominant athletes are not immune to pressure when rivals raise their level.

As the season progresses, the growing duel between Shiffrin and Rast promises to be one of the defining storylines. With the margins so fine and confidence high on both sides, future slalom races are likely to be decided by moments just as small as the one that ended Shiffrin’s streak in Kranjska Gora.

Women’s World Cup slalom start list as Shiffrin carries her winning streak into Kranjska Gora

As the women’s Alpine World Cup heads to Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, one familiar question once again dominates the conversation: is anyone capable of stopping Mikaela Shiffrin?

The answer, for now, remains elusive. The American superstar arrives at this latest slalom stop carrying a commanding six-race winning streak in the discipline, having swept every slalom contested so far this season. Until a rival breaks that run, Shiffrin’s dominance continues to define the women’s slalom landscape.

With the season now reaching its midpoint and the 2026 Winter Olympics looming ever closer, the stakes in Kranjska Gora extend far beyond a single race result. Momentum, confidence, and Olympic positioning are all increasingly in play.

Olympic tension builds at midseason

The Kranjska Gora slalom represents the sixth race in a 10-event slalom calendar. After this weekend, just three slaloms remain before the Olympic Games, followed by two more races after the Games conclude. That structure leaves little margin for caution or experimentation.

Every run now carries multiple layers of significance. Athletes are not only fighting for podiums and points but also for Olympic selection, favourable start numbers, and qualification for the season-ending finals. In slalom, where hundredths of a second often separate victory from disappointment, even small hesitations can have major consequences.

As the pressure mounts, skiers must strike a delicate balance between aggression and control — a challenge Shiffrin has mastered better than anyone else in the field.

Shiffrin firmly in control of the standings

At the halfway point of the season, Shiffrin has already created a sizable gap between herself and the rest of the field. Her consistency and ability to win under varying conditions have forced her rivals into attack mode, often increasing risk in an attempt to keep pace.

After five slalom races, the top of the World Cup standings paints a clear picture of her authority:

• Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) leads the standings with 500 points, sitting comfortably in first place.
• Lara Colturi (Albania) follows in second with 280 points.
• Camille Rast (Switzerland) holds third with 262 points.
• Wendy Holdener (Switzerland) sits fourth on 208 points.
• Katharina Truppe (Austria) rounds out the top five with 186 points.

Shiffrin’s six consecutive slalom victories stretch back to last season’s finals, underlining how long she has remained untouchable in this discipline. The rest of the field is effectively racing each other — unless someone finds a way to disrupt her rhythm.

A loaded start list in Kranjska Gora

The opening group at Kranjska Gora reflects both depth and unpredictability. With Shiffrin drawing bib three, the tempo of the race will be established early on a slope that demands commitment and punishes hesitation.

The top seven starters include a mix of seasoned veterans and rising stars:

• Bib 1: Lena Dürr (Germany), currently sixth in the slalom standings
• Bib 2: Zrinka Ljutić (Croatia), a young talent still seeking consistency
• Bib 3: Mikaela Shiffrin (USA), the season leader
• Bib 4: Wendy Holdener (Switzerland), one of the most reliable slalom skiers on tour
• Bib 5: Paula Moltzan (USA), enjoying a strong campaign
• Bib 6: Camille Rast (Switzerland), fresh off major success this season
• Bib 7: Lara Colturi (Albania), one of the breakout performers of the year

With Shiffrin starting early, the pressure will immediately shift to those chasing her time. On Podkoren 3, a course known for rewarding precision and punishing mistakes, early benchmarks can shape the entire race.

United States entries highlight depth and youth

The Stifel U.S. Ski Team enters six athletes in the women’s slalom, led by Shiffrin and Moltzan. While only three American women have scored slalom points this season, several younger racers have demonstrated flashes of elite speed, underscoring how narrow the margins are at this level.

The U.S. start list includes:

• Mikaela Shiffrin (bib 3)
• Paula Moltzan (bib 5)
• A.J. Hurt (bib 31)
• Elisabeth Bocock (bib 36)
• Nina O’Brien (bib 42)
• Liv Moritz (bib 43)

For the younger skiers, Kranjska Gora represents an opportunity to gain experience and potentially break through, especially with Olympic selection pressure intensifying.

Canadian squad seeks momentum

Canada fields a smaller but competitive group, led by Laurence St-Germain, who remains one of the nation’s strongest slalom performers. She is joined by Amelia Smart, Kiki Alexander, and Sarah Bennett.

Notably absent is Ali Nullmeyer, who continues her recovery with hopes of returning to World Cup racing before the Olympics. Her potential return would be a significant boost for Alpine Canada as the season enters its decisive phase.

Course and technical details

The women will race on Podkoren 3, one of Kranjska Gora’s most demanding slopes. Sunday’s first run is set with 65 gates, including 64 turning gates, requiring sustained technical precision.

Course setting responsibilities are split between Alessandro Colturi of Albania for the first run and Sascha Sorio of Sweden for the second. With different setters shaping each run, adaptability will be crucial — another area where Shiffrin has consistently excelled.

Watching history unfold

As the season reaches its midpoint, the broader reality becomes impossible to ignore. Mikaela Shiffrin is not just winning races — she is redefining what sustained excellence looks like in Alpine skiing. Fans are witnessing the most successful ski racer the sport has ever seen, competing at the height of her powers.

Whether anyone can disrupt her streak in Kranjska Gora remains to be seen. But until that moment arrives, each race becomes part of a larger narrative — one that continues to unfold run by run, gate by gate.

How to watch

The women’s slalom takes place on Sunday, January 4.

• Run one: 3:30 a.m. ET / 12:30 a.m. PT
• Run two: 6:15 a.m. ET / 3:15 a.m. PT

Broadcast options include Ski and Snowboard Live in the United States, CBC Sports in Canada, and Discovery+ in Great Britain.

As the gates drop in Kranjska Gora, the question remains the same — and increasingly urgent: who, if anyone, can stop Mikaela Shiffrin?

‘This Is Not OK’: Shiffrin Wins Again but Tears Into Slalom Course

Mikaela Shiffrin extended her remarkable run in women’s slalom racing on Sunday night, claiming a sixth consecutive World Cup victory in the discipline at Semmering. Yet while the American once again stood on the top step of the podium, her dominant performance was accompanied by strong criticism of what she described as unsafe and unfair course conditions that, in her view, put many competitors at unnecessary risk.

Shiffrin delivered another trademark comeback to secure the win, overturning a modest first run to post the fastest time under the lights. Her combined time was just 0.09 seconds quicker than Switzerland’s Camille Rast, the reigning world champion, who pushed the American all the way to the finish line. Teenage sensation Lara Colturi, the Italian-born Albanian skier who has rapidly emerged as a genuine title contender, finished third, 0.57 seconds adrift.

Mikaela Shiffrin was fastest in the second run to edge Swiss skier Camille Rast by 0.09sec. Photograph: Millo Moravski/Agence Zoom/Getty Images

Despite celebrating her 106th career World Cup victory, Shiffrin made it clear afterward that she was deeply unhappy with how the race had unfolded. Speaking to Austrian television, she did not hold back in her assessment of the conditions on the Panorama course. While acknowledging that her early starting position on the first run spared her the worst of the deteriorating surface, she stressed that many of her fellow competitors were not so fortunate.

“For me, starting with a low bib, it wasn’t a huge problem,” Shiffrin explained. “But for the women who had to start later, with bib numbers in the teens, twenties, or even higher, it simply wasn’t OK. The snow was breaking apart badly, and that’s not something athletes should have to deal with at this level.”

Warm temperatures throughout the day forced race organizers to inject water and salt into the snow in an attempt to stabilize the surface. However, those measures proved insufficient. As the afternoon session progressed, large sections of the course began to crumble, particularly in the lower half, making it increasingly difficult—and potentially dangerous—for the later starters to ski aggressively.

The scale of the problem was reflected in the statistics. Only 40 of the 77 athletes who started the opening run managed to make it to the finish. A time deficit of nearly six seconds was still enough to qualify for the second run, underlining just how extreme the conditions had become. Such a high attrition rate is highly unusual in World Cup slalom racing and immediately raised concerns across the field.

Conditions did improve slightly for the night session, which took place several hours later as temperatures dropped. Still, the damage had already been done. Shiffrin described the entire day as mentally draining and emotionally frustrating, not only for herself but for the wider group of competitors.

“It was a very challenging and distracting day,” she said. “I’m thankful that there were no serious injuries, but when you see how the surface was breaking apart, especially in the first run, it’s hard not to be upset. The second run was better, but the overall situation shouldn’t have happened in the first place.”

On the sporting side, Shiffrin’s victory once again demonstrated her resilience and technical mastery. She started the race fourth and was more than half a second off the lead after the first run, having lost significant time in the lower section of the course. Later, she admitted that she had made mistakes by pushing too hard and skiing too round in places where a more direct line was possible.

“It’s a tough slope,” she said. “I probably overskied a bit in the first run. I was trying too hard to make something happen instead of letting the course come to me.”

Under pressure in the second run, however, Shiffrin corrected those errors. She attacked with greater precision, controlled her line more effectively, and stopped the clock with a time that ultimately proved unbeatable. Even then, she admitted she was surprised by the result.

“It didn’t feel good out there,” she said. “It felt like a fight all the way down. I honestly didn’t expect to see the green light when I crossed the line.”

The win marked her fifth straight victory at the start of the season and continued a stretch of dominance that dates back to the end of last winter. Shiffrin closed the previous campaign with a slalom victory and then opened the current Olympic season by winning the first four races, doing so by an average margin of around 1.5 seconds. Sunday’s narrow success was far less comfortable, but no less significant.

With the result, Shiffrin further extended her lead in the slalom standings. She now holds a 220-point advantage over Colturi, with five races still to come—three scheduled for January and two in March—before the Milan–Cortina Winter Olympics. Given that a single World Cup win is worth 100 points, the American has put herself in a commanding position as the season progresses.

Elsewhere, Croatia’s Zrinka Ljutic, last season’s winner at Semmering and the reigning slalom globe holder, finished eighth, more than three and a half seconds behind Shiffrin. It was a solid but unspectacular result for the Croatian, who has struggled to match her best form so far this winter.

For the United States team, the race brought mixed fortunes. Paula Moltzan, who had been seventh after the first run, failed to finish the second after straddling a gate. Her exit came just a day after she suffered a heavy crash in the giant slalom on the same hill, adding to concerns about the demanding conditions at the venue.

Attention now turns to Slovenia, where the women’s World Cup circuit moves next for a giant slalom and slalom in Kranjska Gora. The hope among athletes and coaches alike is that the focus will return to performance rather than course safety.

Beyond the racing itself, Shiffrin’s comments reignited a broader debate about how competitions are staged in increasingly unpredictable weather conditions. As winters grow warmer and snow management becomes more complex, athletes are increasingly vocal about the need for organizers and governing bodies to prioritize safety and fairness over rigid scheduling.

Shiffrin’s frustration was not rooted in self-interest, but in concern for the integrity of the sport and the wellbeing of her competitors. Her message was clear: World Cup racing should challenge the best skiers in the world, but it should never do so at the expense of safety.