The National Times - Shiffrin questioned return before claiming historic 100th World Cup win

The 29-year-old American, who suffered an abdominal puncture wound in a crash in Killington in November, produced an epic performance in Sestriere to win Sunday's slalom as world champion Camille Rast skied out on the first run.

Shiffrin, competing in just her second slalom since her crash two and half months ago, finished 0.61 seconds ahead of Croatia's Zrinka Ljutic. Another American Paula Moltzan was third 0.38sec behind her teammate.

Shiffrin, who finished fifth in the world championships and 33rd in Saturday's giant slalom, has held the record for most victories since 2023, having overtaken a record long held by Sweden's Ingemar Stenmark (86).

"It hasn't been easy," she said as she stepped off the podium.

"Several times I've asked myself if I'd made the right decision by coming back to competition.

"It certainly feels like I've been fighting a lot lately. To come back and compete with these women who are skiing so strong and so fast... I have wondered in the last weeks so many times whether it is the right thing to come back."

Since her debut on the world circuit in March 2011, Shiffrin has now won 63 slaloms, her preferred speciality, and 22 giant slaloms. She has also five super-G races, five in parallel, four in downhill and one in combined.

Her first World Cup win came in Slalom at Are in March 2012 when she was just 16.

"My dream since I was a child has been to make beautiful turns and to improve every day," she said. "I just have to take this day and be grateful for it."

- 'Pretty special' -

Shiffrin was leading by 0.09sec after the first run during which Rast hit the deck right at the end of her first run, ruling her out of the second.

She then produced a superb second run, falling to her knees and pulling a double take to check she had pulled off the milestone win.

"It's pretty special to share it with Paula," she said as she held back the tears. "I could hear everyone cheering at the start when she went and I thought, ok, it's like a day of training.

"Today a lot of things had to go right for me and wrong for others. Camille was going so fast... In the end I did something right too."

Ljutic takes over at the head of slalom standings 39 points clear of Rast while Federica Brignone, who won both the giant slaloms in Sestriere, leads the overall standings, 190 points clear of Lara Gut-Behrami.

Statistically, Shiffrin is a phenomenum with a 36 percent win ration in all the races she starts. She also reaches the podium in 56 percent of her races: indeed her win on Sunday gave her 155 podiumns finishes, equalling another Stenmark record.

She has won 16 Crystal Globes, five of which are overalls.

She has also earned three Olympic medals, including two golds, and 15 World Championship medals, most recently in Saalbach earlier this month when she won her eighth gold with in partnership with Breezy Johnson in the team combined.

"Mikaela Shiffrin is truly one of a kind," said Sophie Goldschmidt, president of U.S Ski & Snowboard. "Not only does she reset record after record within her sport, but she does it with a sense of humility and grace."

At the end of this Italian leg, the women's world circuit heads to Kvitfjell in Norway on Friday for two downhills and a super-G.

T.F.Russell--TNT