Mikaela Shiffrin is going to the Milano Cortina Olympics on a hot streak.
Shiffrin won her seventh World Cup slalom of the season on Sunday, Jan. 25. Did it in commanding fashion, too, finishing 1.67 seconds ahead of Camille Rast of Switzerland. It was Shiffrin’s second podium finish in as many days, having been third in the giant slalom on Saturday, Jan. 24.
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The win in Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic, wraps up the ninth season title in slalom for Shiffrin, even with two races still to come after the Milano Cortina Olympics. It also extends her lead in the overall standings; she is 170 points ahead of Rast.
Shiffrin let out a whoop after crossing the finish line, giving a small shake of her polls and blowing a kiss to fans.
“I just love skiing,” Shiffrin said after the race. “That’s the best feeling, to be here.”
Shiffrin is in perhaps the best form of her life in slalom – which is saying something considering 71 of her 108 career victories are in slalom. She has won all but one slalom race this season, and eight of the last nine going back to last season.
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The one outlier? She was second.
That makes Shiffrin a heavy favorite to win her second Olympic gold in slalom in Cortina, having won at the Sochi Games in 2014. She also is the Olympic champion in giant slalom from the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang.
“The Olympics is a totally different challenge. I’ve had great Olympics, I’ve had tough Olympics,” said Shiffrin, alluding to Beijing, where she posted DNFs in three races.
“I try to go in with an open mind, good spirit, trust in my team. They’ve been amazing all season,” she added. “We’re coming in with some strong athletes so think it’s time to enjoy that.”
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Still, Shiffrin has to take confidence from how she’s skiing now. She’d won twice previously in Spindleruv Mlyn, in 2019 and 2023, and dominated this race.
She finished the first run with a lead of 1.66 seconds on Wendy Holdener of Switzerland. Despite the cushion, she came out of the gate pushing on the second run. She maintained her tight line as she flowed from one gate right into the next, never giving up any ground to her competitors as she won the second run as well.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mikaela Shiffrin looks dominant ahead of Milano Cortina Olympics
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