Slalom in Aare

Shiffrin Wins! Swiss Team Narrowly Misses the Podium

Katharina Truppe narrowly missed a spot on the podium.(Bild: GEPA)

Mikaela Shiffrin secured victory in the women’s slalom in Åre! The American edged out her main rival, Emma Aicher, thereby extending her lead in the overall World Cup standings. Wendy Holdener from Switzerland finished in third place. Meanwhile, Katharina Truppe had to settle for a disappointing fourth place.

U.S. star Mikaela Shiffrin celebrated her 109th victory in the Alpine Ski World Cup on Sunday in Åre. The 31-year-old, who turned 31 on Friday, won her 72nd World Cup slalom in Sweden, finishing 0.94 seconds ahead of Germany’s Emma Aicher. Last year’s winner from Carinthia, Katharina Truppe, finished 1.09 seconds behind, missing third place—held by Switzerland’s Wendy Holdener—by just 0.09 seconds. Of the seven Austrian women competing, only Katharina Gallhuber (+3.31) made it into the points or into the second run, finishing 21st.

For Truppe, who was in third place behind Shiffrin and Aicher after the first run, this continues her streak of top-7 finishes. This winter, she has placed in the top seven nine times in a row, including her 16th-place finish in Levi and her Olympic performance. “When I saw it was only nine hundredths, it really annoyed me. That really stings,” said Truppe, last year’s winner in Åre. She lost ground in the final third, on the vertical section heading into the finish. “But there are worse things than fourth place. Fourth place underscores my season.”

Truppe still in the fight for third place in the Slalom World Cup
While Shiffrin, who has won eight of the nine slalom races so far this season, has been the World Cup discipline champion since the end of January, Truppe still has a chance at the top three. She is now 27 points behind Holdener, who is in third place behind the Swiss Kranjska Gora winner Camille Rast. “It’s still the goal. It’s gotten a little harder because she’s ahead of me. But I’m going to give it a shot,” announced Austria’s clear best slalom skier this winter ahead of the final race in Hafjell.

Gallhuber was at least the second-best ÖSV skier on this day. Having barely qualified in 29th place after the first run, the Lower Austrian improved by eight places. “The second run was really solid. I’m taking the positives with me into the final.” Outside the top 30, Natalie Falch finished 36th, Franziska Gritsch 40th, Junior World Championship silver medalist Leonie Raich 42nd, and Lisa Hörhager 45th. Katharina Huber, Olympic champion in the team combined event alongside Ariane Rädler, was eliminated in the first run.

Mikaela Shiffrin(Bild: AFP/PONTUS LUNDAHL)

Shiffrin, however, navigated the gates with her usual dreamlike precision. She only showed some hesitation in the finish of the second run. “These are the conditions I like the least,” the Olympic slalom champion told ORF, referring to the spring-like conditions. “I know what I’ve often done wrong in these conditions and tried to fight against it.” She now has the chance to set a solo record for slalom season wins with a victory in Norway as well. Her main focus, however, is likely on the overall World Cup standings; she currently leads Aicher by 140 points.