Mikaela Shiffrin wasted no time stamping her authority on the 2025/26 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup, surging to a commanding lead after the first run of the women’s slalom opener at Levi Black. The American icon, starting her 16th season as the two-time defending discipline champion, clocked a blistering 56.08 seconds down the 50-gate course, eclipsing her rivals by over a second in temperatures dipping to -6°C under a flurry of Arctic snow.
Shiffrin, who boasts a record eight prior victories at this reindeer-trophy venue – more than any skier in history – attacked the steep middle pitches with surgical precision, gaining fractions at every split to build an insurmountable buffer. Her effort, flawless through the rutted hairpins and technical flats, evokes the vintage form that propelled her to 101 career World Cup wins through March 2025, including 64 in slalom alone.8df25e “This was the best run I could do – kind of perfect,” Shiffrin said in a post-run interview with FIS, her breath fogging the crisp air. “A wonderful feeling to replicate some of my best training skiing here.”1155ab
The 30-year-old from Eagle-Vail, Colorado, enters this Olympic cycle – with Milano Cortina 2026 on the horizon – fresh off a resilient 2025 that saw her battle back from an abdominal injury in November 2024 to claim her eighth world championship gold in February.b16d72 Absent her fiercest rival, two-time Olympic slalom champion Petra Vlhová of Slovakia, who remains sidelined by a knee injury from January 2024,ef235b Shiffrin faces a field hungry for breakthroughs. Yet her dominance – gaining tenths in the steepest sections – signals she’s not just chasing victory No. 102, but the all-time record of 103 held by Lindsey Vonn.
In second, 1.08 seconds adrift at 57.16, is Albania’s Lara Colturi, the 18-year-old prodigy whose fluid aggression earned a career-best provisional podium. Daughter of 2002 Olympic super-G gold medalist Daniela Ceccarelli, Colturi turned 18 just last week and notched her first World Cup podium in Gurgl earlier this month.5e1494 “Skiing with Mikaela up top is a dream – and a wake-up call,” the teenager beamed in the finish corral.b8dedd
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Germany’s Lena Dürr holds third at +1.49 (57.57), the 33-year-old veteran leveraging her tactical savvy to post the steadiest run among the chasers. A podium finisher here last year and a four-time World Cup slalom winner, Dürr knows Levi’s reverse-start second run offers redemption: “Mikaela’s the gold standard, but slalom rewards consistency.”00dc82
Lurking threats include Croatia’s Zrinka Ljutić, the reigning slalom Crystal Globe winner, in fourth at +1.58 after three victories last season;3577ad Switzerland’s Camille Rast, the 2025 world champion, in fifth (+1.75) after two slalom triumphs last year;712620 and Austria’s Katharina Liensberger in sixth (+1.82), the 2024 runner-up eyeing a return to the podium. Switzerland’s Wendy Holdener, a two-time Olympic medalist, sits seventh (+1.95).
The U.S. depth shines through with Paula Moltzan in 12th (+2.46), the slalom specialist who snagged second in Sölden’s giant slalom opener three weeks ago.d28983 Teammates Nina O’Brien, AJ Hurt, and debutante Annika Hunt also qualified for the second run, bolstering America’s Olympic preparations.e1f4a9
A 15-minute weather delay from light snow pushed Run 1 to 11:20 CET, but the course held firm on its icy base. Organizers greenlit Run 2 for 14:00 CET (13:00 GMT), with floodlights primed against the encroaching dusk and mercury forecast to hit -9°C. Tune in live on FIS TV, Eurosport, or NBC Peacock, where cowbells will ring and a baby reindeer awaits the victor – potentially Shiffrin’s ninth.
In slalom’s two-run crucible, leads can evaporate, but Shiffrin’s fireworks have Levi buzzing. As the Olympic season ignites above the Arctic Circle, the queen of the technicals shows no signs of yielding her throne.
Live updates on #FISAlpine and #WorldCupLevi. Second run at 14:00 CET.
