Mikaela Shiffrin Claims in Semmering her Fifth Consecutive Win in the Alpine Ski World Cup Slalom Season

Mikaela Shiffrin, Semmering Slalom 2025. Picture: Interwetten/GEPA Pictures

Mikaela Shiffrin secured her fifth victory of the season in the Women's Night Slalom event at the Alpine Ski World Cup in the floodlit slope on the Zauberberg in Semmering. This win in the last race of 2025 marked her 106th career World Cup victory and her 69th in Slalom. Shiffrin finished just 0.09 seconds ahead of Camille Rast and 0.57 seconds ahead of Lara Colturi. She climbed from fourth place after the first run to first, after setting the best time in the second run.

At 30 years old, Shiffrin has now won four Slalom races in Semmering and holds the record for the most podium finishes in this event, with a total of five.

It's the second time she has won the opening five Slalom races of the season, having also won the first five in the 2018-2019 winter season.

"The conditions were tough, and it was a significant fight with a lot of pressure. I gave my best possible performance. Was it perfect? I’m not sure that’s the right word, but it certainly was an end," Shiffrin said.

Shiffrin sparked controversy with a protest during the break before the second run. After inspecting the course, she insisted that a turn leading into a hairpin, which she considered unrideable and incomprehensible, be changed. Her protest was upheld, perhaps not to everyone's delight, and the course was reset. There was no time left for further inspection. A video was subsequently sent to the federations so that all the skiers could see the new course setting.

Normally, a longer inspection leads to the disqualification of the skier in question. However, because the jury had given Shiffrin and Dzenifera Germane the green light for an additional 15 minutes to inspect the track, the organizers considered everything to be "in accordance with the rules."

"The longer inspection time gave both athletes an advantage," Swiss head coach Beat Tschuor told SRF after the race.

Almost half of all the skiers who started in the first run did not reach the finish line (39 out of 79). The huge time gaps were also bizarre. For example, the 30th-place finisher from the first run, Norwegian Bianca Bakke Westhoff, was 5.94 seconds behind the fastest skier, Camille Rast. Such a large gap had not been seen since 2000.

As in the Giant Slalom, Camille Rast also finished second in the Slalom at Semmering. She has now stood on the podium six times in her last 14 Slalom races.

"Things are going well at the moment, I'm satisfied. Nine hundredths of a second isn't much. I hope I can put her under pressure again soon. Next week offers another opportunity," Rast said.

Lara Colturi also confirmed her progression. She may still be seeking Albania’s first-ever Alpine Ski World Cup win; this was her 7th podium and her fourth in five races, but she is getting closer.

"In the last few races, I’ve been doing much more, and I was just trying my limit. It'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 closer in each race, and I’m feeling excellent in training. I’m really fast with a good mindset and power," Colturi said.

The Women's World Cup now moves to Slovenia. Next weekend, the Alpine Ski World Cup races will be held in Kranjska Gora, featuring a Giant Slalom on Saturday and a Slalom on Sunday. The Men's Alpine Ski World Cup will return to Madonna di Campiglio for the Night Slalom on Wednesday, January 7th.