ST. MORITZ, Switzerland (March 19, 2016) – She is simply in a class all her own. Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, CO) provided another dominating slalom victory – her fifth win of the season – Saturday at the Audi FIS Ski World Cup Finals.
Shiffrin’s winning margin of 2.03 seconds was stunning, especially considering that a number of her top competitors struggled on the grippy snow surface baked by the warm spring sunshine. In Saturday’s race, she left Slovakia’s Veronika Velez Zuzulova in her wake, along with Sweden’s Frida Hansdotter, who finished second and third respectively. Resi Stiegler (Jackson, WY), who was competing at the World Cup Finals for the first time since 2007, was 11th.
Shiffrin won all five World Cup slalom races she competed in this season, with a combined winning time of 10.56 seconds – a 2.11 second average margin of victory. When asked after Saturday’s race if she knows what she’s doing to win races by two seconds or more, she replied with a short answer and a giggle, not giving anything away: “Yeah.”
Mikaela Shiffrin dominated Saturday’s Audi FIS Ski World Cup Finals slalom. (Getty Images/Agency Zoom-Alexis Boichard)
Shiffrin, the defending Olympic slalom gold medalist and three-time U.S. National Slalom Champion, moved another step ahead of her competition this season, but in the back of her mind, she knows that someday the competition may figure out just what makes her so fast.
“When I watch the video, it just seems like I’m able to be connected with my skis better and quicker (than the other competitors),” she said. “The rhythm changes don’t get to me as much … and that just all adds up. Two seconds, it seems like a lot, but it’s not that much. So I could easily see them figuring that out and coming right back to beat me.”
Shiffrin builds on her first run lead run to win by 2.03 seconds.
Injury was the only thing that beat Shiffrin this season. For the first time in her young career, a knee injury sustained prior to the third slalom of the season in Are, Sweden, forced her to miss eight weeks of competition, including six of the 11 World Cup slalom races this season. Hansdotter won the overall World Cup slalom crystal globe after posting five top-five finishes, including one victory, during Shiffrin’s absence. Shiffrin, the three-time defending World Cup slalom champion, finished fourth in the discipline this season.
Resi Stiegler, competing at the World Cup Finals for the first time since 2007, finished 11th Saturday. (Getty Images/Agency Zoom-Alexis Boichard)
While confident in her slalom skiing, giant slalom is a whole different game for Shiffrin, who concludes her World Cup season with Sunday’s GS.
“I feel like my slalom is 100 percent,” Shiffrin said. “My GS … the timing is there sometimes. I’m a little uncertain about tomorrow, but I’m going to try my best. My number one goal is to get a good feeling with the timing and the flow. When you see really good GS skiers ski, you’re like ‘I just want to do that!’”
Watch Shiffrin dominate the World Cup Finals slalom Saurday on NBC at 1:00 p.m. EDT.
Mikaela Shiffrin shares the podium with Slovakia's Veronika Velez Zuzulova (left) and Sweden's Frida Hansdotter. (Getty Images/AFP-Fabrice Coffrini)
In the men’s World Cup Finals giant slalom Saturday, Thomas Fanara of France won his first World Cup race by 0.02 over countrymen Alexis Pinturault in second and Mathieu Faivre in third. American Tim Jitloff was 20th. Austria’s Marcel Hirscher finished fifth and wrapped up the overall World Cup giant slalom title.
Up next are the final World Cup races of the season Sunday as the men race slalom and the women race giant slalom. David Chodounsky (Crested Butte, CO) and Shiffrin are scheduled to compete for the U.S. Ski Team.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Mikaela Shiffrin won her fifth World Cup slalom race of the season by 2.03 seconds.
- Shiffrin’s combined winning time in her five victories this season was an astonishing 10.56 seconds.
- Sweden’s Frida Hansdotter won the overall World Cup slalom crystal globe.
- Thomas Fanara of France won his first World Cup race in Saturday’s men’s giant slalom.
- The French swept the men's GS podium.
- Austria’s Marcel Hirscher finished fifth and wrapped up the overall World Cup giant slalom title.
- The World Cup season concludes Sunday with men’s slalom and women’s giant slalom.
QUOTES
Mikaela Shiffrin
It’s always nice to end the season on top.
When I watch the video, it just seems like I’m able to be connected with my skis better (than the other competitors) and quicker. The rhythm changes don’t to get me as much … and that just all ads up. Two seconds, it seems like a lot, but it’s not that much. So I could easily see them figuring that out and coming right back to beat me.
I feel like my slalom is 100 percent. My GS … the timing is there sometimes, I’m a little uncertain about tomorrow, but I’m going to try my best. My number one goal is to get a good feeling with the timing and the flow. When you see really good GS skiers ski, you’re like ‘I just want to do that!’”
Shiffrin wins first run of Saturday's slalom.
Resi Stiegler
It was a special day for me; I just wanted to enjoy it. I have not made it to World Cup finals slalom in eight years.
Having that first run coming down in ninth was awesome! I was maybe a little too pumped up for that second run. I just didn’t nail the top part where you needed to carry the speed on the flats, so I lost a bunch of speed.
Resi Stiegler skis to 11th in the World Cup Finals slalom.
Broadcast and Streaming Schedule (all times EDT)
Saturday, March 19
1:00 p.m. - Women's slalom, St. Moritz - NBC
Sunday, March 20
3:30 a.m. - Men's slalom 1, St. Moritz - LIVE - NBC Sports Live Extra
4:30 a.m. - Women's giant slalom 1, St. Moritz - LIVE - NBC Sports Live Extra
6:00 a.m. - Men's slalom 2, St. Moritz - LIVE - NBCSN
7:00 p.m. - Women's giant slalom 2, St. Moritz - LIVE - NBCSN
RESULTS
Women’s slalom
Men’s giant slalom
Final World Cup Slalom Standings
Women
Final World Cup Giant Slalom Standings
Men
