Alpine skiing: American Mikaela Shiffrin wins first World Cup race of season

Global ski star for almost ten years, the American has established herself during the opening slalom of Levi, Finland.

by MO12345lemonde with AFP

For those who hoped for a small drop in regime from the global ski star to expand their record, it may be necessary to wait at least a year more … The American Mikaela Shiffrin, quadruple winner of the big crystal globe, which rewards the skier winning the general classification of the World Cup at the end of each winter, imposed itself, Saturday, November 19 during the slalom of Levi, Filande, first female race of the season.

Shiffrin, 27, ahead of Swedish Anna Swenn Larsson and her big rival, the Slovak Petra Vlhova, Olympic specialty champion in Beijing at the start of the year. Gold medalist in 2014 and 2018, Shiffrin had finished these Chinese Olympic Games without a medal, a cruel disillusionment for her.

Third of the first round, Shiffrin succeeded in the best time in the second route to win a 75 e victory in the World Cup. The American is thus close to the absolute record of the Swedish Ingemar Stenmark (86) and the total of his compatriot Lindsey vonn (82).

Shiffrin opens the ball! The American offers herself the first slalom of the season in Levi in ​​front of Anna Swenn Larsson and Pet… https://t.co/IUM1DBC4VU OFF Twitter.com/eurosport_fr/status/1593953203703390208 “Data-datetime =” “>

Levi, city of the extreme north of Finland located beyond the polar circle, welcomed this first female race of the new season after the cancellation, in October, of the giant slalom of Sölden because of the weather forecast , then the following three stages of the calendar (in Zermatt/Cervinia, between Suise and Italy, twice, then Lech, in Austria) due to the lack of snow.

The skiers engaged in the World Cup will have a new opportunity to challenge Mikaela Shiffrin, Sunday, November 20, during a second slalom in Levi.

/Media reports cited above.