US skier Mikaela Shiffrin builds big lead in 1st run of World Cup slalom, approaches career win 98

By The Associated Press

United States' Mikaela Shiffrin speeds down the course during an alpine ski, women's World Cup slalom, in Levi, Finland, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Marco Trovati]

LEVI, Finland (AP) — American ski star Mikaela Shiffrin dominated the opening run of the first women’s World Cup slalom of the season Saturday, positioning herself for what would be her record-extending 98th career win.

Shiffrin posted the fastest time at three of the four splits on the Levi Black course as she built a lead of 0.60 seconds over Lena Duerr of Germany.

The two-time Olympic champion has triumphed a record seven times in the traditional season-opening slalom in Finnish Lapland, where the winner is given a reindeer as a prize.

“It felt good. I felt strong and solid and good energy,” Shiffrin said. “Little bit nervous, like first race, first slalom of the season, so I’m happy with how I managed the mentality and pushed with my skiing.”

Croatian prodigy Zrinka Ljutic, 2021 world champion Katharina Liensberger of Austria, and Shiffrin’s teammate Paula Moltzan were the only other skiers to finish less than a second off the lead.

Moltzan was 0.05 seconds faster than Shiffrin on the flat opening section of the course but lost time going into the steep part and ultimately trailed by 0.90.

Olympic champion Petra Vlhova, Shiffrin’s biggest rival in slalom, sat out the race as the Slovakian needed more to time to recover from knee surgery last season.

Shiffrin won both slaloms at the end of last season after her return from a knee injury following a downhill crash in January, clinching her eighth World Cup season title in the discipline.

She has won 60 slaloms and 97 races overall — both are World Cup records across genders.

American standout Lindsey Vonn, who this week announced her return to the U.S. ski team more than five years after her retirement, was expected to race again at speed events later this season.

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