Shiffrin Makes It Five From Five Wins In Semmering Slalom

Under the floodlights on a course that broke down quickly and punished mistakes, Mikaela Shiffrin delivered a second run of near‑flawless precision to overhaul a sizeable deficit from the opening run and claim victory in the women’s World Cup slalom on Sunday. The American was fourth after the first run, more than half a second adrift, but produced the fastest evening descent — a 53.58‑second second run — to post a winning total of 1:48.82, beating Camille Rast by 0.09 seconds.

The race narrative was classic Shiffrin: measured in the first run, then aggressive and technically immaculate when it mattered. Competitors struggled as the course deteriorated under the lights, but Shiffrin found the rhythm others could not, threading tight lines and maintaining speed through the choppy, rutted sections. Lara Colturi of Albania completed the podium in third, 0.57 seconds back, highlighting the depth of young talent pushing the established stars.

The first run was tricky, with warmer temperatures leading to the snow breaking down after just a dozen women. This caused many of the racers difficulties, with nearly half of the field DNFing. Many of the women spoke up about the issues, including Shiffrin.

“This one's a bit hard to explain this day. I am very satisfied with my skiing on the second run and also the first run. It was really challenging conditions today," said Shiffrin. "For the women starting bib 13, 15, 18 and in the 60s, this was not okay, and for all the athletes trying to figure this out in the finish. It was just a very challenging and distracting day,” said Shiffrin.

But on the second run under the lights, Shiffrin delivered when it mattered most. Sitting in fourth after the first run, .54 seconds off the lead, the Stifel U.S. Ski Team star skied to her limit to secure the win. Shiffrin’s confidence was seen from gate one as she hammered down to come back from her biggest deficit since 2013.

While the conditions improved second run, it was still a point of contention for the skiers in the field - including a last-minute set change.

“It should be a good show, but it should be something that the athletes want to do... There's a way to do it better,” said Shiffrin. “But I am happy with how it ended today.”

The victory further extends Shiffrin’s own all-time World Cup win record and adds another milestone to an already unprecedented career. It was her fifth straight slalom win of the season, marking a perfect 2025-26 thus far, and her sixth slalom win in a row. She reamins in first in the overall standings. Rounding out the podium in the night slalom were Switzerland's Camille Rast in second and Albania’s Lara Colturi in third.

• Semmering night slalom win: Shiffrin posted a 53.58 second second run for a 1:48.82 total; she beat Camille Rast by 0.09 seconds.
• Season streak: This was her fifth slalom victory from five starts this season and her sixth consecutive slalom win overall.
• Career milestone: The victory was Shiffrin’s 106th World Cup win, adding to an already historic résumé.

Shiffrin’s triumph in Semmering marked a continuation of a dominant start to the 2025–26 slalom season: five wins from five slalom races and six straight slalom victories counting the final race of last season, underscoring her status as the discipline’s benchmark heading into the Winter Games next year. The result also extended her record‑breaking career tally to 106 World Cup victories, a milestone that cements her place among the sport’s all‑time greats.

Shiffrin acknowledged the difficulty of the day and the pressure of expectations, saying it was “a really hard day” and that she had to refocus after a tentative opening descent. With the Olympic program in Milano‑Cortina looming, her form in Semmering will only sharpen the spotlight on her as a favorite in the technical events.

Rast is getting better and better. She has now made six podiums in her last 14 Slalom races.

“A good weekend,” she summed up. “0.09 is not a lot. But keep working and maybe it can go on my side. I hope so, she is really good and you have to be really good to push on two runs from top to bottom. The smallest mistake, and first place is there. You need two runs without mistake from top to bottom.”

Colturi is also on an upward curve. She may still be seeking Albania’s first ever Audi FIS World Cup win – this was her 7th podium, and her fourth in five races – but she is getting closer. On the day Shiffrin bagged her 69th slalom win, Colturi made her 67th World Cup start. She went full tilt to secure a fine third place.

“In the last few races I’ve been doing much more, and I was just trying my limit. But it was impossible [to win], I just tried to do my best,” she said. “The snow was a little bit better in the second run so the mindset was to go fast and just to do as I am doing in training, but the second run was too tough. That’s amazing to finish the year with a podium, and now I’ll do the next few races with the same mindset.

“I’m getting close each race, I’m feeling really good in training. I’m really fast with a good mindset and power.”

She has an ideal role model to learn from in today’s winner. “She is really amazing,” said Colturi of Shiffrin. “I am trying to copy everything about her. Since I was five years old I’ve been trying, so I’m used to it.”