Mikaela Shiffrin claims 104th World Cup win with dominant slalom at Copper Mountain as Lena Duerr finishes behind American superstar
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Published 30/11/2025 at 23:50 GMT
Mikaela Shiffrin maintained her unbeaten run in the slalom this season, securing a record 104th World Cup triumph at Copper Mountain. The two-time Olympic gold medallist had already claimed victories in the opening slalom rounds of the 2025/26 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup in Levi and Gurgl earlier this month. In her only home event of the year, Shiffrin finished 1.57 seconds ahead of Lena Duerr.
Watch: Shiffrin delivers 'masterclass' in taking World Cup victory No. 104
Video credit: TNT Sports
American superstar Mikaela Shiffrin continued her flawless start to the slalom season, securing a record-extending 104th World Cup victory - and her 67th in slalom, setting a new discipline record - at Copper Mountain, Colorado.
The two-time Olympic gold medallist had already triumphed in the opening slalom rounds of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup season in Levi and Gurgl earlier this month.
On Sunday, she made it three wins from three with a commanding 1.57-second margin over Germany’s Lena Duerr, with Lara Colturi completing the podium.
Shiffrin now tops both the slalom discipline and overall World Cup standings, holding a 90-point advantage over Colturi.
In her only home slalom of the season, Shiffrin immediately gave the fans something to cheer about, clocking 52.94 for the fastest run one, 0.28 seconds ahead of Switzerland’s Wendy Holdener.
She then delivered a run of 55.81 - Caitlin McFarlane was the only person to go quicker in the second run - to claim victory on the road to Milano Cortina 2026, which will be broadcast live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
Shiffrin's win was greeted warmly by those in attendance, who she later thanked in her post-race interview.
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Watch: Shiffrin shimmers again to go fastest on first run in Copper Mountain slalom
Video credit: TNT Sports
"I can hear you guys from the start, it was so awesome, thank you," said the 30-year-old at Copper Mountain, which is a half-hour drive from Shiffrin's hometown of Edwards, Colorado.
"I felt perfect on this run. I connected with the track. It was beautiful to ski. I just felt like everyone here is pushing, so I had to push. This run was amazing.
"Hopefully, I will have so many hours of sleeping," Shiffrin joked when asked what her plans were ahead of the next World Cup round in Tremblant.
"Everyone on the circuit is pretty tired and ready for a nap."
It was Shiffrin’s first victory in Colorado in more than a decade - since she won two slaloms at Aspen in November 2015.
Overall, 12 of her 104 World Cup wins have come in the United States. She also won the slalom at the 2015 World Championships at Vail-Beaver Creek, Colorado in February of that year.
"This is super special," Shiffrin said. "Today was stressful. I didn't expect to have so many nerves, but it's special to race at home, and this crowd is incredible.
"I could hear them from the start... that energy helps, because this is a hard course. It's long and it's tiring."
Shiffrin admitted that the altitude of Copper Mountain - one of the highest race venues on the circuit at nearly 10,000 feet - had posed an additional challenge.
"I mean, I live here and I never get used to it," she said. "Particularly travelling from overseas. You don't even have a week to get used to it or anything."
Watch: Shiffrin shimmers again to go fastest on first run in Copper Mountain slalom
Video credit: TNT Sports
It is the fourth time in Shiffrin's career that she has won the opening three slaloms of a season. She won the opening five slaloms in 2018/19, the opening four in 2016/17 and the opening three in 2019/20.
The other American finishers were Paula Moltzan in eighth and Nina O'Brien in 26th.
Shiffrin is expected to be one of the stars of the Winter Olympics, where women’s Alpine skiing will be held in Cortina d’Ampezzo between February 6-22.
She is desperate to atone for her disastrous 2022 Games in Beijing, where she came away empty-handed. At the 2021 Worlds in Cortina, Shiffrin entered four races and won four medals.
It has been an emotional week for Shiffrin, who was reduced to tears while watching fiancee Aleksander Aamodt Kilde return to racing after nearly two years out with serious injuries in a Thanksgiving super-G at Copper Mountain on Thursday.
Watch the 2026 Winter Olympics on TNT Sports in the UK and Ireland - full discovery+ coverage details will be confirmed in due course.
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