Mikaela Shiffrin has closed the Audi FIS Ski World Cup women's slalom season with a 10th-round victory at the Hafjell finals in Norway, finishing with a record nine wins from ten races and claiming her 17th career crystal globe � the ninth time she has won the slalom tour title.
Shiffrin crossed the finish line 1.10 seconds clear of her nearest rival � an eternity by World Cup slalom standards � capping a season the broadcast team called "spellbinding" in its consistency.
"Mikaela Shiffrin flies across the line. 1.10, that is an eternity in ski racing," the FIS Alpine call delivered. "Shiffrin in control as she has been throughout the whole of the season of the Audi FIS Ski World Cup tour."
The final-run numbers for Shiffrin were lethal. She was "over half a second" up at the interval and continued extending through the closing sectors, producing "yet another spellbinding performance from the world number one," as one commentator put it. The dynamics on her racing line held to the final gate.
"Shiffrin a record-breaking nine wins from 10 races. Never done before. Shiffrin is unbelievable," the call continued. "With the 17th crystal globe of her amazing career, it's the ninth time that Mikaela Shiffrin has won the slalom tour title."
Wendy Holdener of Switzerland took second, producing a dip-and-dive effort through the closing gates that briefly put her into the top position before Shiffrin's final run arrived. Germany's Emma Aicher finished third, matching one of her best runs of the season to hold off a late charge from Austria's Katharina Truppe, who had been chasing third position in the slalom standings.
"Wendy Holdener dips. Holdener dives. Wendy Holdener, she's into top position. 400s of a second quicker than Emma Aicher," the broadcast reported. "But if Shiffrin wins, it's a different story."
The final season slalom standings settled with Shiffrin, Camille Rast and Holdener at the top of the tour, with Katharina Truppe fourth � the Austrian losing third position on the day despite what commentators described as "incredible accuracy on the racing line" in all but the season opener.
Paula Moltzan of the United States posted "beautiful skiing" earlier in the second run to slot into an early leading position before the later starters descended. "Very smooth soft pressure edge and turn," the FIS call said of Moltzan's line through the opening sectors.
The tour ledger for Shiffrin is almost without parallel in alpine skiing. Nine wins from ten starts in a single season is unprecedented at the World Cup level, and the ninth slalom crystal globe arrives alongside her 17th overall crystal globe across her career spanning multiple disciplines.
With the slalom title confirmed, the next storyline is the overall tour battle. Eighty-five points remain available in the final giant slalom race of the finals, and Emma Aicher is positioned to challenge for the overall title depending on points scored there.
"So what does that mean? Well, it means quite simply that if Shiffrin can stay ahead of Emma Aicher in the giant slalom, but both will need to score points or both may not score points. It'll be a real mathematical and fascinating giant slalom race," the FIS call concluded.
For Shiffrin, however, the slalom line has already been drawn. Nine from ten. Ninth slalom globe. Seventeenth crystal globe overall. A season the commentary called simply "what a brilliant result."
