Shiffrin wins again in Levi

Mikaela Shiffrin of Edwards capped off a brilliant weekend in Levi, Finland, with her second straight World Cup slalom win on Sunday and the 76th victory of her incredible career. Here’s the press release from the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team:

Mikaela Shiffrin snagged her 75th and 76th World Cup victories in Levi, Finland over the debut World Cup weekend. On Saturday, not only did Shiffrin win, but she has now broken the record for the most podiums in a single discipline by any female skier. On Sunday, she steadily won the day and her teammates were close behind.

Day One

Shiffrin was in third after the first run behind Lena Duerr (GER) and Anna Swenn Larsson (SWE). On the second run, Shiffrin skied clean and confident, enough to overtake the field and win by 0.26 ahead of Swenn Larsson. Also adding another reindeer to her pack. 

Another big result for the Stifel U.S. Alpine Team came from Ava Sunshine. Sunshine made her debut in the World Cup circuit at Levi, skiing into a solid 25th first run, and ending in 21st overall. Sunshine is a previous Junior World Champs speed medalist, making a very strong statement on the circuit with this result. 

“I am super excited about my first World Cup scoring points, it’s so amazing and so incredible. Not as intense as I thought it would be. It is always a big deal down bottom but up top it’s pretty chill, so it was good,” said Sunshine.

RESULTS
Women’s Slalom

Day Two

Stifel U.S. Alpine Team athlete Katie Hensien skied well and is closing out the day in 26th place among the fast and strong women’s tech field. Coming off a stellar weekend, Ava Sunshine had another amazing race on the technical slalom course. Sunshine ends her first World Cup weekend with two top-30 finishes and her first World Cup points. 

RESULTS
Women’s Slalom

And here’s a press release from Levi World Cup:

Mikaela Shiffrin landed her second consecutive slalom win at Levi on Sunday 20th November and reached her record sixth win. After coming first on Saturday, this two-time olympic champion was equal to the ruling olympic champion, Petra Vilhova, with both having had five wins at Levi. On Sunday Shiffrin beat Wendy Holder by 0,28 seconds and Petra Vilhova by 0,68 seconds. 

27-year old Shiffrin said in an interview with FIS after the competition: “I never expected this, not even after the first round. I think that all competitors are so strong currently that we all need a bit of luck as well to win.”

Riitta Honkanen, Charlotte Henriksson, Erika Pykäläinen and Riia Pallari from the Finnish team all dropped from the competition after the first round. 

The World Cup Levi weekend was all in all a very successful opening to the Women’s World Cup tour. 85 media presenters were accredited to the competition and TV stations from 8 different countries were broadcasting live from the event. Friday evening saw Levi celebrate the opening of the weekend and during the day the second Aurora Future-Event was held. This year Aurora hosted 13 different panel discussions with some very closely related to sports. On Saturday the first partial slalom race was held and the second on Sunday. Levi had amazing weather all weekend with the stunning Lapland scenery and the magnificent competition conveying an image of northern Finland to millions of spectators across the world. Over the weekend the event had more than 6600 persons attending.

“Even though Finland is a relatively small country, it is still firmly a part of the alpine skiing community. By hosting the alpine skiing partial race we ensure the continuation of this sport in Finland. This means advancement and upkeep to our sports and competitions, as well as recreation. The World Cup Levi is essential for the future success and status of this sport in our country. In the international slalom community those countries who act as hosts for the World Cup are in prominent positions regarding decisions and advancement when it comes to this sport,” says the General Secretary of World Cup Levi Janne Leskinen.

Before the competition at Levi, 19 international teams were practicing here. Next week will see the arrival of men’s national teams coming to practice at Levi. The practice period will end on the FIS competition held 26.-29.11.2022, which will see a record breaking number of alpine skiers of varying levels.

“Securing and developing the top conditions at Levi is of utmost importance since Levi has become a significant stage for international accomplishments. Ensuring the conditions for practising and snow storage is a key factor in our aim to succeed in the 2026 Olympics,” continues Leskinen.

Sunday’s results:

1. Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) 1:52.21

2. Wendy Holdener (SUI) 1:52.49

3. Petra Vlhova (SVK) 1:52.89

4. Lena Duerr (GER) 1:53.18

5. Sara Hector (SWE) 1:53.63

6. Leona Popovic (CRO) 1:53.83

7. Zrinka Ljutic (CRO) 1:54.00

8. Katharina Liensberger (AUT) 1:54.06

9. Laurence St-Germain (CAN) 1:54.22

10. Thea Louise Stjernesund (NOR) 1:54.45

Total results of the competition here.