Shiffrin wins slalom on home Colorado snow to remain perfect in the Olympic season

COPPER MOUNTAIN, Colo. (AP) – American standout Mikaela Shiffrin is leading the opening run of a World Cup slalom on home snow – and in her home state – as she attempts to remain perfect in the discipline during the Olympic season.

Shiffrin is on a four-race winning streak in slalom after claiming the opening two races this season and the last event of last season.

Skiing through light snowfall on Sunday, Shiffrin finished 0.28 seconds ahead of Switzerland’s Wendy Holdener and 0.69 ahead of Austria’s Katharina Liensberger.

“Go Mikaela we love you,” said one sign held up by fans in the finish area at Copper Mountain – which is a half-hour drive from Shiffrin’s hometown of Edwards, Colo.

Teenager Lara Colturi of Albania stood fourth and Katharina Truppe of Austria was fifth.

Zrinka Ljutic was the only highly ranked competitor not to finish the opening run after the Croatian went off course.

Lower-ranked skiers were still coming down the course.

Shiffrin, who has won a record 103 World Cup races overall and a record 66 in slalom, is aiming to win the opening three slaloms of a season for the fourth time in her career. She won the opening five slaloms in 2018-19, the opening four in 2016-17 and the opening three in 2019-20.

Shiffrin is expected to be one of the stars of the Feb. 6-22 Milan Cortina Olympics, where women’s Alpine skiing will be held in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

At the 2021 world championships in Cortina, Shiffrin entered four races and won four medals.