After two races out of the podium, Mikaela Shiffrin returns to her winning mode in Levi. On the Levi Black piste, Mikaela Shiffrin beats Petra Vlhova after a first run dominant Slovakian failed to finish the second run. Petra Vlhova's second victory in 24 hours seemed to be certain after setting the best time in the first run and leading in the first sectors in the final one by more than a second over Shiffrin after straddling a gate.
The American skier finished +0.18 seconds ahead of Leona Popovic. In third place, Lena Dürr, 0.30 seconds behind, repeated on the podium after finishing second yesterday.
After today's victory, Shiffrin became the most successful skier of all time on this slope with her seventh win with the "Levi Black" (in 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019, twice in 2022 and 2023). Shiffrin's seven Slalom victories in Levi is a new record for the number of victories in this discipline at one specific venue. Only Lindsey Vonn (14 Downhill in Lake Louise) and Annemarie Moser-Pröll (7 Downhill in Pfronten) have recorded more than six World Cup wins in a specific event at a single resort among women's skiers.
Shiffrin is celebrating her 89th World Cup victory. She recorded 54 of her 89 wins in the Slalom, a record for most wins in a single event. Ingemar Stenmark follows with 46 wins in the Men's Giant Slalom, and Lindsey Vonn with 43 wins in the Women's Downhill.
Since 2016, all 12 women's Slalom World Cup races in the Finnish ski resort have been won by Mikaela Shiffrin or Petra Vhlová.
"Petra deserved to win today, that was just bad luck. She was really master class and way ahead of the rest. It's a bittersweet victory, she probably would have won by a second and a half. I had a good attitude. It proves that I have a good mindset to still fight so this means a lot. I'm very happy", said Shiffrin.
Leona Popovic from Croatia finished in second place behind Shiffrin, her second Alpine Ski World Cup podium.
Popovic set the best time in the second run to climb up from fifth to second place.
"I was really happy that I put together a whole good run. Today I was feeling really good, on the first run also but I made some mistakes. I was just trying to be as fast as possible in the second", Popovic said.
Lena Dürr finished in third position. It is her tenth podium in the World Cup, her sixth one in Slalom. The 32-year-old German skier achieved her first Slalom World Cup victory last season in Špindlerův Mlýn on January 29, 2023.
"I’m super happy. It's of course a strange feeling at first when you benefit from other people's mistakes. But I am happy either way. It wasn't easy. At the start of to the steep wall the slope was already badly damaged and I somehow tried to keep the skis running . It's a perfect start to the new season", Dürr said.