Mikaela Shiffrin delivered a masterclass in slalom skiing to open the 2025-26 World Cup season, storming to a dominant victory in Levi on November 15 and claiming her record-extending 102nd career World Cup triumph. The 30-year-old American, skiing with the precision and aggression that have defined her legendary career, posted the fastest time in both runs to finish 1.66 seconds ahead of the field – a margin that underscored her return to peak form heading into an Olympic year.
Starting third in the first run on the demanding Levi Black course, Shiffrin laid down a near-perfect leg in 56.08 seconds, building a lead of over a second on her rivals. She maintained that dominance in the second run under fading Arctic light, clocking a combined time of 1:48.92 to seal the win. Albania’s Lara Colturi, celebrating her 19th birthday, took second, while Germany’s Emma Aicher rounded out the podium in third – her first career World Cup slalom top-three finish.
“This was just one of those days,” Shiffrin said post-race. “I trusted the training with my team – we did a lot of work over the summer. The final step was mentality and pushing. It’s starting to feel like home here in Levi.”
The victory marked Shiffrin’s ninth win on the Finnish slope – more than any other venue in her career – and her 65th in slalom alone. It also earned her the traditional Levi prize: naming rights to a reindeer, now bringing her personal herd to a full Santa’s sleigh of nine. The animals live happily at the Ounaskievari Reindeer Farm in Lapland, where Shiffrin visited them with family last year.
In a heartfelt tribute, Shiffrin named her latest reindeer “Winkie” after her mother Eileen’s childhood nickname. “She’s been my rock through everything,” Shiffrin shared on social media, alongside a photo with the prize. “Winkie is in honor of my mom’s childhood nickname. Been a long time coming for my mom to finally get a reindeer in her name.”
Eileen Shiffrin, a constant presence as both mother and coach throughout Mikaela’s journey, has been instrumental in her daughter’s success – from early days on the slopes to navigating injuries and triumphs. The gesture added an emotional layer to a win that signals Shiffrin’s full recovery from last season’s challenges, including a serious crash that sidelined her for months.
Joining Winkie in the herd are previous winners: Rudolph (2013), Sven (2016), Mr. Gru (2018), Ingemar (2019, after legend Ingemar Stenmark), Sunny and Lorax (2022 doubleheader), Grogu (2023), and Rori (2024).
With the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympics just three months away, Shiffrin’s commanding performance serves as a stark reminder to the next generation – including rising stars like Colturi and slalom globe holder Zrinka Ljutić – that the queen of Alpine skiing is firmly back on her throne. She now leads both the overall and slalom standings early in the season.
Shiffrin returns to action this weekend in Gurgl, Austria, for the next slalom, where she’ll aim to build on this momentum in her quest for more history.
