HAFJELL, Norway (AP) — Mikaela Shiffrin made a strong start to a World Cup slalom that could seal a record-tying sixth overall title on Tuesday.
The standout slalom skier in World Cup history took a huge lead of 1.10 seconds in the first run on an unusually long course. It took Shiffrin more than one minute, seven seconds to pass the 77 turning gates.
Shiffrin started the race 45 points ahead of Emma Aicher in the World Cup overall standings and the German
allrounder was fourth fastest, trailing by 1.38.
If their positions stay the same in the afternoon run, Shiffrin will earn 100 points and take a lead of 95 into the season-ending giant slalom on Wednesday.
Aicher would then need to win the giant slalom — a discipline in which the 22-year-old racer has a career-best finish of fourth — and Shiffrin fail to score points. Any top 15 result for Shiffrin would then secure the title.
Shiffrin still must navigate the second run on Tuesday, with Wendy Holdener her closest challenger and Paula Moltzan third, trailing her United States teammate by 1.12.
Holdener sat in the leader’s box watching Shiffrin race and smiled for the TV camera with a shoulders shrug on seeing yet another exceptional run by the American.
Shiffrin won eight of the previous nine World Cup slaloms this season, plus the Olympic title last month at Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
She aims to match Austrian downhill great Annemarie Moser-Pröll with six World Cup overall titles that are the sport’s most prized honor.
Moser-Pröll won five straight titles from 1971-75 then a sixth in 1979.
Shiffrin won three straight from 2017-19, then back-to-back titles in 2022 and ’23.
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AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing
