After commanding the first four World Cup slaloms of the season, Mikaela Shiffrin narrowly extended her winning streak just before the 2026 Olympics. Despite her victory in Sunday’s night slalom in Austria, the American skier expressed dissatisfaction with the race conditions on the Panorama course.
Shiffrin, trailing by half a second after the initial run, managed to surpass world champion Camille Rast from Switzerland. However, she criticized the unsafe skiing conditions for the competitors with later start numbers due to the course’s deteriorating surface caused by recent mild weather.
Organizers attempted to improve the course conditions by injecting water and salt, but the surface continued to break during the afternoon run. Only 40 out of 77 starters completed the first session, with some facing significant challenges on the course.
Despite the challenging conditions, Shiffrin excelled in her final run, finishing ahead of Rast and Italian skier Lara Colturi. With this win, Shiffrin achieved her fifth consecutive victory this season, matching her personal best start from 2018-19.
Shiffrin emphasized the need for better course preparation to ensure the safety and enjoyment of the athletes. She further extended her lead in the slalom standings and is gearing up for upcoming races leading to the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
In other results, Canadian skier Laurence St-Germain finished 12th, while Croatia’s Zrinka Ljutic, the defending slalom globe champion, lagged behind in eighth place. Shiffrin’s teammate Paula Moltzan faced challenges in the race after a previous crash.
The women’s World Cup will continue with events in Slovenia, featuring giant slalom and slalom races in Kranjska Gora next weekend.