47. Mikaela Shiffrin won the women’s night slalom on the Planai in Schladming on Tuesday by 0.15 seconds from Petra Vlhová. It was her 47th World Cup slalom victory. Ingemar Stenmark won 46 giant slaloms; nobody in World Cup history has more wins in one discipline.
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mikaela ShiffrinUSA | USA | — |
| 2 | Petra VlhováSVK | SVK | +0.15 |
| 3 | Lena DürrGER | GER | +0.93 |
Fifth to first
She did it from fifth place. Vlhová led after the first run. Ali Nullmeyer and Wendy Holdener were joint third, Shiffrin fifth, Paula Moltzan sixth. On the second run Shiffrin set the fastest time of the race. Vlhová, last out of the gate, held a first-run cushion and finished 0.15 behind. Holdener and Nullmeyer, joint third at half-time, both dropped off the podium. Lena Dürr took third, 0.93 back.
At night on the Planai, the second run is about one thing: whether you can stay on the gas on hard, injected snow in the floodlights without letting the skis run away from you. Vlhová has been the best slalom skier of the season. On Tuesday the reigning overall champion came up 0.15 short.
The globe goes anyway
Vlhová still left with something. Second place clinched the slalom crystal globe with two races remaining. She leads Shiffrin by 220 points in the discipline, more than the 200 still available. It is her second slalom globe, after 2020.
The race was in Schladming only because Flachau’s slalom had been moved for Covid reasons. Shiffrin herself had missed races over the holidays after a positive test.
Context
- 47 slalom wins, the most in a single discipline in World Cup history.
- Previous mark: Stenmark, 46 giant slalom wins.
- Vlhová: slalom globe clinched with two races left, 220 points clear.
The Beijing Olympics start next month. The slalom globe is settled. The slalom record now belongs to Shiffrin.