American skiing icon Mikaela Shiffrin once again proved why she’s the most dominant force in alpine skiing history, rallying from a fourth-place position after the first run to claim a hard-fought victory in the women’s night slalom at Semmering, Austria. The win marks her record-extending 106th career World Cup triumph and keeps her undefeated in slalom this season at five-for-five.
Facing one of the most challenging courses in recent memory, Shiffrin overcame deteriorating snow and deep ruts caused by unseasonably warm temperatures. Nearly half the field — including many top competitors — failed to complete the first run, resulting in the highest attrition rate for a World Cup event since 1999.
Shiffrin trailed Switzerland’s Camille Rast by 0.54 seconds heading into the floodlit second run but unleashed a flawless, aggressive performance to post the fastest time and win with a combined total of 1:48.82. She edged Rast by a mere 0.09 seconds, while 19-year-old Albanian talent Lara Colturi claimed third, 0.57 seconds back.b7c2a0,8ff676,821c44,6953be
Despite the triumph, Shiffrin voiced strong concerns about the course conditions, describing the first run as “very scary” and unsafe for many athletes. “It’s frustrating because our sport is so beautiful, and we want to showcase that,” she said post-race. “The second run improved a bit, but it was still a huge fight under immense pressure.”
The 30-year-old’s victory extends her current slalom winning streak to six (dating back to last season) and solidifies her lead in both the overall and slalom standings as the World Cup circuit heads into 2026. No skier — male or female — has ever swept an entire slalom season, a milestone Shiffrin is now halfway toward achieving.
The women’s tour resumes January 3 in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, as Shiffrin continues her pursuit of further history en route to the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
