SOELDEN, Austria — Mikaela Shiffrin wasted no time fulfilling her ambition to start winning giant slaloms this season.
The Eagle-Vail 19-year-old, already dominating the women’s slalom circuit for two years, clinched her first GS win Saturday, sharing victory with overall World Cup champion Anna Fenninger in a tense season-opening race.
“I wanted this so bad for so long,” Shiffrin said. “It is so special, also to share the podium with Fenninger, especially in GS, as she is so smooth and elegant.”
Austrians Eva-Maria Brem and Kathrin Zettel finished third and fourth, respectively, 0.66 and 0.67 off the lead.
Shiffrin led Fenninger by 0.09 seconds after the opening run but looked out of contention when she trailed Fenninger by 0.63 seconds halfway down her second run.
For the first time leading in a GS, Shiffrin “took the foot off the gas” early in her final run before speeding up again.
“It was a big fight,” Shiffrin said. “That was pretty rough. I am psyched I made it down alive.”
The American accelerated to reduce her deficit to 0.09 at the final split time before crossing the line while matching the Austrian’s time.
“I don’t think this really counts (as a win),” a stunned Shiffrin said on Austrian TV after being asked about her maiden GS victory.
Her first win in a discipline other than slalom, where Shiffrin is the Olympic and world champion and holds back-to-back World Cup titles, immediately raised the issue of her chances of having a shot at the overall title.
“Maybe. We need a few more races,” Shiffrin said with a smile. She confirmed she planned to add “one or two super-Gs” and probably some super-combined events to her schedule.
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“I was fast in the flats, so those are good signs (for the super-G),” she said.
Fenninger acknowledged being “very nervous” in her opening run.
“I lost a weight from my shoulders in the second,” the Austrian said following her ninth career win. “The season is so long, we don’t need to talk about the World Cup (title) now. But the start is nice. I never thought it would go on like this. I am proud to have arrived where I always wanted to be.”
Shiffrin became only the eighth female skier to win 10 or more World Cup races as a teenager.
