By Blessing Nweke
Mikaela Shiffrin kept her perfect start to the World Cup slalom season intact on Sunday night in Austria, but the American star left the Panorama course frustrated and outspoken after what she described as unsafe race conditions.
Shiffrin, who had dominated the first four slaloms of the season, came from half a second back after the opening run to secure a narrow victory in the final race of the calendar year. She edged out reigning world champion Camille Rast of Switzerland by just 0.09 seconds, claiming her record-extending 106th career World Cup win as the sport edges closer to the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
Despite the result, Shiffrin was critical of the conditions, which were heavily affected by mild weather. Organizers attempted to harden the course by injecting water and salt, but the surface deteriorated rapidly during the afternoon first run, breaking up in several sections.
“It was not safe to ski for the girls,” Shiffrin told Austrian television, noting that later starters faced significantly worse conditions. Only 40 of the 77 racers completed the first run, and a deficit of nearly six seconds was still enough to qualify for the final.
Conditions improved slightly for the evening second run as temperatures dropped, and Shiffrin delivered the fastest time of the session to overhaul Rast. Nineteen-year-old Lara Colturi of Albania finished third, 0.57 seconds behind.
“It was a really hard day, tough conditions, a really big fight,” Shiffrin said afterward. “I didn’t expect to see the green light.”
The win marked Shiffrin’s fifth straight to open the season, matching her best-ever start. She now leads the slalom standings by 220 points, with three races remaining in January and two in March.
The women’s World Cup continues next weekend in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, with a giant slalom and slalom.
Original article
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