Mikaela Shiffrin Closes Challenging Season With Dominant Slalom Win in Sun Valley, ID

U.S. ski racer Mikaela Shiffrin wrapped up the 2024-25 World Cup season with a resounding victory in the Slalom race at the World Cup Finals in Sun Valley, Idaho, on Thursday, March 27. The 30-year-old athlete had a difficult season after crashing early in the World Cup season in Killington, Vermont, in November 2024. The recovery from the crash was both physically and mentally demanding, and the ski racer admitted to suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Second place went to Germany’s Lena Dürr, while third place was claimed by Andreja Slokar.

• Related: Mikaela Shiffrin Shares Graphic Picture of her Injury from Killington, VT

Run 1

First out of the gate was Katharina Liensberger in bib 1. The Austrian was one of four skiers who still had a mathematical chance of winning the 2024-25 season Slalom title, with 464 points entering the race. She put down a solid first run, setting the pace for the course at 53.27 seconds. Second out of the gate was Mikaela Shiffrin, who showed just why she is considered the best female Slalom ski racer to date, weaving her way effortlessly down the technical course and crushing Liensberger’s time by 1.22 seconds. It was a time that proved unbeatable for the rest of the day. The third starter, Camille Rast, was another contender for the Slalom Crystal Globe, having amassed 10 points more than Liensberger in her breakout season. However, the Swiss ski racer could not summon the energy to come into a top position, finishing 2.14 seconds behind Shiffrin.

“It’s so special to be here and to finish the season on American soil. I could hear the crowd all the way to the start gate. I just want to be able to ski some of my best turns on home soil.”
— Mikaela Shiffrin

Zrinka Ljutic in bib 4 put down a clean run but seemed weighed down by expectations and pressure, given she is the current leader with 515 points. Ljutic crossed the finish line 1.99 seconds behind Shiffrin, leaving a huge gap for competitors to slot into. One of those was Anna Swenn Larsson who looked more agile than the Croatian skier and crossed the finish line almost half a second ahead of Ljutic. Switzerland’s Wendy Holdener, who in theory could have claimed the globe as well with a victory today if Ljutic walked away with zero points, certainly was putting her best foot forward, crossing the finish line 1.02 seconds behind Shiffrin, 0.20 seconds ahead of Liensberger. It still left more than a whole second gap for someone to slot into, and seventh starter Lena Dürr was certainly someone that was up for the challenge. Dürr even managed to be ahead of Shiffrin on the top section but lost some time on the lower section, sliding into second place 0.59 seconds behind Shiffrin. Switzerland’s Melanie Meillard, whose brother had won the Giant Slalom the day before, qualified for Run 2 in a strong fifth place with a 1.38-second lag on Shiffrin.

Other noteworthy runs came from Albania’s Lara Colturi, USA’s Paula Moltzan, and Andreja Slokar, who qualified for Run 2 in seventh, eighth, and ninth place respectively. Moltzan’s performance was particularly astounding, given her dramatic crash during the Giant Slalom just two days prior, which left her with a huge gash to her chin. “Today I was fighting a lot of demons. I was in a lot of pain. I hurt my ankle when I crashed, so it was kind of a mind over matter,” Moltzan admitted after the race. Rounding out the top 10 was Germany’s Emma Aicher, who is the only athlete on the World Cup circuit to compete in all four disciplines and had claimed her first World Cup victory in Norway earlier this year.

• Related: Germany’s Emma Aicher Claims First-Ever Career Victory at Downhill in Kvitfjell, Norway

Run 2

Run 2 in the technical disciplines is run in reverse order, meaning the fastest skier competes last. The anticipation for Shiffrin as the last starter was naturally massive, and the home crowd in Sun Valley was here to see their favorite triumph. But first, there were 20 other skiers to compete. First out of the gate was Cornelia Öhlund, who has seen her first top-five finish this season. The young Swede proved that this was not a fluke and put down the eighth fastest Run 2 of the day.

Another noteworthy performance on Run 2 came from Canada’s Ali Nullmeyer, who had qualified in 18th place, but put down a smashing second run which proved to be the second fastest Run 2 of the day, boosting her ranking to ninth place. But the fastest Run 2 of the day came from Slovenia’s Andreja Slokar, who finished Run 2 in 53.14 seconds, catapulting the 27-year-old into the leader’s seat. Paula Moltzan followed the Slovenian but could not unseat her, crossing the finish line 0.86 seconds behind Slokar in what was ultimately sixth place. Neither Colturi nor Swenn Larsson nor Meillard beat Moltzan, but Austria’s Liensberger managed to slot in between Slokar and Moltzan, just 0.06 seconds ahead of the American.

Then it was down to the last top three skiers from Run 1–first up Wendy Holdener. The Swiss ski racer had 0.85 seconds from Run 1 on Slokar. Holdener extended her lead slightly on the top section to 0.88 seconds, but quickly gave back the lead and then some on the mid-section and crossed the finish line 0.46 seconds behind Slokar. This decided the crystal globe once and for all and Ljutic celebrated in the finish area. But back to the last two skiers on the top of the course. Slokar had a guaranteed podium but what position was up to Lena Dürr and Mikaela Shiffrin. Dürr, who often struggles on Run 2, gave back much of her lead but managed to hang on to a 0.01-second lead on the Slovenian and took the lead. This left only Shiffrin at the top of the course and the home crowd was going wild.

Shiffrin pushed out of the gates with a 0.59-second lead on Dürr. Shiffrin quickly extended the lead on the top section to 0.71 seconds and wove her way smoothly down the rutted course, extending her lead with every meter to a total of 1.13 seconds on Dürr, ending her season with her 101st World Cup victory. The home crowd at Sun Valley went wild, celebrating the most successful Alpine skier of all time in style.

Ljutic was awarded the season Slalom trophy in the ceremony after the podium presentation. The Croatian skier is only the second Croat to claim a crystal globe, following in the steps of her idol Janica Kostelic, who did so in 2000-01 and 2005-06. “I got it, it’s mine,” Ljutic said in a FIS interview after the race. The young ski racer has been having her breakout season this year with her first World Cup victories. “I had the wish, I saw myself able to compete for the Globe, after last season. I had it somewhere in the back of my mind. But maybe the switch [to Atomic] made it easier because I had to focus on skiing and the development of the material. Then at the end of the season, I thought ‘Woah, it’s actually happening.’  The last few races were tough. Especially today. I learned a few lessons, so many new things. There was so much pressure, I will definitely benefit from that in the future.”

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