Mikaela Shiffrin’s second run in Sunday’s giant slalom wasn’t just fast – it was fierce. The American star tied for fourth place at the World Cup stop, her best GS finish in nearly two years, channeling the aggression that has defined her career even as she battles the mental echoes of a brutal crash.
“It felt very aggressive on the second run,” Shiffrin said post-race, her voice steady but laced with that familiar fire. “There were a couple of spots I wasn’t as clean as possible, but it’s really exciting to be back in the top-15 seed again.”
Austria’s Julia Scheib seized her second GS victory of the season, clocking a combined 2:13.00 to edge Sweden’s Sara Hector by 0.57 seconds. New Zealand’s Alice Robinson, the Saturday winner, dropped to third after a second-run slip, while Shiffrin and Switzerland’s Camille Rast shared fourth at 1.17 seconds back.
Starting the day in sixth after a cautious first run – 0.72 seconds off Scheib’s pace – Shiffrin unleashed in the afternoon leg, posting one of the day’s top splits to claw her way up. The 30-year-old bib 11 racer carved aggressively through the Flying Mile’s icy pitches, her edges biting despite variable light and a surface chewed by earlier starters.
The result marks progress in a discipline that’s tested Shiffrin like few others. She hasn’t podiumed in GS since January 2024, her form derailed by a November crash at Killington that left her with a deep puncture wound, torn obliques and lingering post-traumatic stress. Last season’s return was rocky: three seconds off the pace in early races, a fight just to qualify for second runs.
“Last year, I was returning from the injury and hoping that I could make it in the second run. I was three seconds behind the fastest girls with no hope of figuring out how to get faster,” Shiffrin reflected. “We’ve done a ton of work this summer to get to this place where I’m in the second run, I’m consistently top-10, around that area. … I’m building and it’s a really cool position to be in and there’s more work to do.”
Saturday’s sixth-place finish here – after sliding from third in her first run amid darkening skies and fog – was a solid step. Sunday’s tie for fourth builds on it, locking in an early start bib for future races and boosting her to fifth in the GS standings. Shiffrin, who swept the season’s first three slaloms, leads the overall World Cup by 122 points over Italy’s Lara Colturi.
Fellow American Paula Moltzan rocketed from 18th to sixth with a blistering second run, while Nina O’Brien’s day ended early with a first-run DNF after briefly holding third. Canada’s Valerie Grenier, third on home snow Saturday, also failed to finish her opener.
For Scheib, the win – her second career GS triumph after opening the season in Austria – caps a dominant North American swing. “It’s very special,” the 24-year-old said. “The slope wasn’t the easiest for me.”
Robinson’s three podiums in two weeks on this side of the Atlantic underscore the depth in women’s GS, where Scheib and Robinson now lead the crystal globe race. Shiffrin, sixth overall in the discipline, knows the bar is higher than ever.
“I think happy in ski racing – it’s a matter of perspective,” she added, flashing a grin that belied the grind. With St. Moritz’s speed events – two downhills and a super-G – looming next weekend, Shiffrin’s aggression signals she’s not just building: she’s charging.
The tour heads to the Swiss Alps, where the 2026 Olympic champ aims to blend her technical dominance with speed’s raw edge. If Sunday’s run is any indication, the field better brace.
