In ARE, Sweden, a historic moment unfolded in the world of alpine skiing, as Mikaela Shiffrin achieved an unprecedented milestone by securing her 156th podium finish in the World Cup. Despite the impressive feat, Shiffrin could not clinch the victory in a challenging slalom race. She had led after the first run but ultimately finished in third place, just 0.19 seconds shy of the unexpected winner, Katharina Truppe.
Truppe, aged 29, claimed her first-ever World Cup victory, outpacing her teammate Katharina Liensberger by a mere 0.05 seconds to secure second place. “Katharina Day!” remarked Shiffrin as she joyfully congratulated the two racers who surpassed her. Despite the missed victory, Shiffrin expressed satisfaction with her fifth slalom attempt in her return since a serious crash in November, stating, “I actually feel pretty good about it. I maybe wasn’t always perfect but I was pushing really hard.”
Shiffrin’s remarkable career has now surpassed that of the legendary Ingemar Stenmark, with 156 top-three finishes and an unmatched 100 career wins to Stenmark’s 86. Meanwhile, Truppe’s victory marked a significant milestone in her career—her first win from 181 World Cup starts. She has previously garnered accolades, including a team event gold at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. “It’s just: ‘Wow.’ I’m a little bit speechless,” she said. “First victory, it’s crazy. I will enjoy it and soak up all this emotion.”
Both Shiffrin and Truppe, now 29 years old, have shared bronze medals in slalom at the junior world championships, though their professional trajectories diverged significantly. Shiffrin claimed her junior medal at 15, already boasting two World Cup slalom titles and an Olympic gold, while Truppe achieved her junior accolade four years later in 2015.
On the pursuit for her ninth career season-long slalom title, Shiffrin needed a victory to earn 100 race points, keeping her faintly in the chase. Her efforts this season were hindered by missing four races as she recovered from physical and psychological injuries. “I’m still trying to get the repetition back. I just have to keep practicing it,” Shiffrin commented. With the current Olympic slalom champion Petra Vlhova not participating the entire season due to a knee injury, the path to a new World Cup title has opened.
The final showdown will occur in Sun Valley, Idaho, on March 27, marking the last slalom event. Four skiers remain ahead of Shiffrin, each within 100 points of the leader, all vying for the coveted crystal globe trophy. In the recent competition, title hopefuls Zrinka Ljutic and Camille Rast did not perform at their peak, finishing in 10th and 11th places, respectively. Ljutic, at 21 years old, leads the slalom standings by 41 points and could secure the title with a top-three result. Liensberger and Wendy Holdener also remain in the race for the trophy.
Before heading to the U.S., Shiffrin intends to continue her training in Europe to prepare for the event at the Idaho resort, which last hosted World Cup races in 1977. “There’s certainly some travel challenges. It’s a really long distance,” she noted. “I guess one more race this season for me but I’m looking forward to it.”
