Mikaela Shiffrin reclaimed her dominance in the slalom discipline with a thrilling victory at the FIS World Cup night race in Flachau, Austria, on January 13, 2026. The 30-year-old American superstar secured her 107th career World Cup win — and her 70th in slalom — while leading a commanding U.S. one-two finish alongside teammate Paula Moltzan.
Shiffrin clocked a combined time of 1:50.52 across two demanding runs on the floodlit Griessenkar course, edging out Moltzan by 0.41 seconds. Austria’s Katharina Truppe rounded out the podium in third place, 0.65 seconds behind, delighting the home crowd with her season’s first podium finish.
Here are some stunning moments from the electrifying night race in Flachau, where the atmosphere was electric under the lights:
The victory marked Shiffrin’s sixth slalom win in seven races this season, bouncing back strongly after a rare second-place finish in Kranjska Gora earlier in January. She described the Flachau challenge as intense, especially with the enthusiastic crowd lining the start and slopes.
In a post-race interview, Shiffrin highlighted the mental aspect of performing under such high expectations:
“Yeah, yeah. I mean even from the start, there were people lining the start, and some kids kind of shouting like, ‘Chevrin, Shiffrin!’ And I’m like ‘Oh No!’ So it’s like a mental challenge to be right there in the right moment. But this crowd tonight was, I mean you can see the footprints all way up the side of the slope. Like that was special.”
She also praised the shared success with Moltzan, calling podiums with teammates “the best thing in the world.”
Check out the joy of the American duo celebrating together on the course and podium:
With the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics just weeks away (starting February 6), Shiffrin’s form positions her as a top favorite in slalom and potentially other technical events. After a medal-less 2022 Beijing Games — where her best result was fourth in the team combined — she’s determined to add to her Olympic haul, which includes gold in slalom (2014) and giant slalom (2018), plus a silver in combined (2018).
This Flachau triumph, her sixth on this iconic night course, underscores her mastery and the U.S. team’s strength heading into the Games. One final slalom remains before the Olympic break, but Shiffrin is already building momentum for what could be a golden return to the biggest stage.
