ARE, Sweden — After crossing the finish line for her eighth World Cup slalom win of the season on Sunday, Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin leaned over and let out a loud scream.
Perhaps this was a mixture of celebration and relief, as her main competitor in the overall standings came in second place, continuing to put pressure on the American star.
In sunny conditions, Shiffrin dominated the final race before the World Cup finals, beating German Emma Eicher by 0.94 seconds, while Swiss Wendy Holdener trailed the lead in third place.
“It was really amazing. I was very nervous and very excited, but in the end, it was a challenge to skate,” Shiffrin said. “I pushed hard. I’m very happy to get to the finish line too.”
The second-place finish marked a career-best slalom result for Eicher, who in recent weeks has become a threat to Shiffrin’s quest for an American-record-equaling sixth overall title.
With four events remaining – one race in each discipline – the German overall leader trails Shiffrin by 140 points, with each race win worth 100 points.
“The fact that I can stand here and say I’m in the competition is great for me. I’m very proud of that,” said the 22-year-old Eicher, who finished 15th overall last season.
The German added: “But Shiffrin is still far ahead of me, so it will be very difficult.”
Shiffrin lost five points from her advantage when she finished one place behind Eicher in fifth place in the GS race on Saturday, before gaining 20 points over her rival after Sunday’s victory.
The American described her battle with Eicher over the large crystal ball as “exciting.”
“There is still some effort to do. Emma skates incredibly well, in every event. So, I try to stay in a fighting spirit,” said Shiffrin, who could equal the women’s record of six overall titles set by Austrian star Anne-Marie Moser-Brühl in the 1970s.
“That’s the thing that motivates me when we’re off the slopes and keeping the mood and attitude going. But when I’m in the starting gate, I’m just trying to get the best I can out of my skiing.”
Focusing on slalom and GS this season, and two Super-G entries, Shiffrin has accumulated 1,286 points overall, including 880 points from slalom. She had already set her ninth slalom record in January, weeks before the Olympics.
Eicher has claimed nine podium finishes this season across slalom, super-G and downhill, with three wins in the speed events.
“You can see she’s very calm and collected,” Shiffrin said of Eicher. “To be honest, she really deserves it. She was the top contender in all the disciplines, and it’s incredible to see someone do that, because she’s actually the only one.”
Shiffrin also won eight slalom races in the 2018-19 season, a feat previously achieved only by Croatian great Janica Kostelic 25 years ago.
Shiffrin took her career tally to 72 slalom wins and 109 overall, both World Cup records.
Åre has been a good place in Šifrin’s career.
She has won seven slalom races at the Swedish resort, including her first career win in December 2012. She also captured world titles in both slalom and super-G there in 2019.
No other skier has won more than two World Cup races in Ari.
The women’s and men’s World Cup finals in Norway open with the sprints in Kvitfjel next weekend, followed by the GS and slalom in Hafjell on March 24-25.
