Mikaela Shiffrin Wins Second Slalom World Cup Of Season In Slovakia
by Todd Kortemeier
Mikaela Shiffrin takes 1st place during the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Women's Slalom on March 6, 2021 in Jasna, Slovakia.
With her slalom win Saturday in Jasna, Slovakia, Mikaela Shiffrin inched closer to the top of the world cup leaderboard, and ever closer to Lindsey Vonn’s career victory mark.
Shiffrin overcame a deficit of .27 seconds to hometown favorite Petra Vlhova, No. 1 in the world cup slalom standings, putting down the fastest second run to win by .34 seconds. Austria’s Katharina Liensberger, who last month won the slalom world championship, ran third. Saturday was a reversal of the world championship, in which Shiffrin finished in third nearly two seconds behind Liensberger.
The 69th world cup win of Shiffrin’s career moved her closer to the all-time women’s record of 82 held by Lindsey Vonn. The win was also Shiffrin’s second in a row in slalom, with her previous one coming Jan. 12 in Austria. Shiffrin now sits 45 points behind Vlhova in the world cup slalom standings as she pursues her seventh title in a row. Shiffrin has finished fifth or better in all six slalom world cups she has entered this season and has four podium finishes.
Three women’s slalom events remain on the world cup calendar: Two in Are, Sweden, next March 12 and 13 and then the season finale in Lenzerheide, Switzerland on March 20.
Todd Kortemeier #
Todd Kortemeier is a sportswriter, editor and children’s book author from Minneapolis. He is a contributor to TeamUSA.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.