Mikaela Shiffrin delivered a masterclass under bright Colorado sunshine, charging to the top of the leaderboard after the first run of the women’s World Cup slalom with a time of 52.94 seconds, putting her firmly in pole position for what could be her third straight slalom victory of the 2025/26 season.
The two-time Olympic champion and reigning slalom globe holder was untouchable on the demanding “Cardiac Carve” course, building an early advantage through the steep middle section and carrying blistering speed across the flatter lower pitch. Switzerland’s Wendy Holdener, the 2018 Olympic silver medalist, sits second at just 0.28 seconds behind, while 2022 world slalom champion Katharina Liensberger of Austria rounds out the provisional podium at +0.69.
Shiffrin, starting with bib 1, thrived in front of an ecstatic American crowd on the first women’s World Cup race held in the United States since Killington 2017. “The energy here is incredible,” Shiffrin said immediately after her run. “It’s special to race at home with this atmosphere — I just tried to ski my plan and stay aggressive.”
With chief rival Petra Vlhová still recovering from knee surgery, the door remains wide open for Shiffrin to extend her record-breaking career win tally to 104. A victory today would also mark her 62nd World Cup slalom win, further widening the gap in the discipline’s all-time list.
Behind the top three, Albania’s 19-year-old sensation Lara Colturi — who has chased Shiffrin in both Levi and Gurgl this season — currently lies fourth (+0.92), followed by Croatia’s Zrinka Ljutić (+1.03) and Switzerland’s Camille Rast (+1.12). American Paula Moltzan posted the 12th-fastest time (+1.79) to safely advance to the decisive second run, keeping U.S. hopes alive for a potential double podium.
After a rare off-day in Saturday’s giant slalom (14th place), Shiffrin looked back to her razor-sharp technical best, attacking every turn with trademark precision and rhythm.
The second and final run is scheduled for 13:00 local time (21:00 CET), with the top 30 skiers flipping the order in the traditional slalom format. Conditions remain fast and fair, and with only 0.69 seconds separating the podium trio, the battle for the Copper Mountain crystal is wide open.
Live timing and streaming are available on the FIS app, Peacock (USA), and Eurosport/international broadcasters.
Can Shiffrin seal the deal on home soil? One run to go.
