Mikaela Shiffrin Claims 109th World Cup Win in Sweden

Mikaela Shiffrin carved through the Swedish snow like she was born on it, claiming her 109th World Cup victory in Åre with a performance that left competitors nearly a full second behind.

The Team USA star finished the slalom race with a time of 1:43.35, extending her own record for most career World Cup wins. Germany's Emma Aicher pushed hard in second place, finishing 0.94 seconds back, while Switzerland's Wendy Holdener rounded out the podium.

What made this win special was the pressure. Aicher, 22 years old and hungry for the overall season title, stormed down the second run to take the provisional lead, forcing Shiffrin to watch from the starting gate as her rival posted an impressive time.

Shiffrin's response was electric. She exploded out of the gates and attacked every turn with precision, building her lead steadily until crossing the finish line nearly a second faster than Aicher.

"I was pretty nervous and pretty excited," Shiffrin told FIS after the race. "I pushed really hard, and [am] quite happy to get to the finish too."

The Bright Side

This victory marks Shiffrin's eighth slalom win of the 2025-26 season, tying a record she shares with herself and Croatia's Janica Kostelic. She previously achieved eight slalom victories in the 2018-2019 season, matching Kostelic's feat from 2000-01.

If Shiffrin wins the slalom at next week's World Cup finals in Lillehammer, Norway, she'll own the record outright. Of her 109 career wins, an astonishing 72 have come in slalom, the technical discipline where she's become nearly unstoppable.

But Shiffrin isn't taking anything for granted. With Aicher trailing by 120 points in the overall standings and skiing at an incredibly high level, the American knows the fight isn't over.

"Emma is skiing just incredibly in every event," Shiffrin acknowledged. "I try to stay in a fighting spirit, and also for my team."

She credits her success to the people around her. "It's the work of my staff and coaches and the servicemen and the people around me," she said. "For them, we really want to fight through the final races and have a really good energy and good spirit."

With the Crystal Globe for slalom already secured and the overall title within reach, Shiffrin heads into the World Cup finals in Norway riding a wave of momentum and gratitude.