Swiss skier Camille Rast has delivered a stunning performance in Slovenia, ending the formidable six-race World Cup slalom winning streak of American superstar Mikaela Shiffrin. The victory, by a margin of just 0.14 seconds, sets the stage for an electrifying rivalry with the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics now just 45 days away.
A Weekend of Triumph for the Swiss Champion
The dramatic showdown took place on Sunday at a World Cup event in Slovenia. Camille Rast, the reigning slalom world champion, clocked the fastest time in both runs to secure her fourth career World Cup victory and her third in the slalom discipline. This win followed her maiden giant slalom triumph on the same hill just one day prior, a weekend double she dedicated to the victims of a recent fire in Crans-Montana, near her hometown of Vétroz.
"I gave everything I had this weekend. Double on the same weekend is quite amazing. I'm so happy," Rast said post-race, crediting "a lot of energy" for her success. She praised the slope preparation and described the race as "a little bit a battle, but I had a lot of fun."
Shiffrin's Gracious Response to a Fierce Challenge
Despite the end of her streak, Mikaela Shiffrin was magnanimous in defeat, immediately hugging her rival in the finish area. The American, who has 69 slalom and 106 overall World Cup wins, acknowledged Rast's exceptional form. "Her skiing is so strong, and it's been building, building, building," Shiffrin stated. "Today, how I saw her ski the first run, ah, I had to go 120% in order to have a shot. So, it was a big, big, amazing day for her."
Shiffrin expressed satisfaction with her own performance, having pushed to her limit. "This was the hardest I could push. I pushed so hard... That was just how hard I was trying," she explained, adding that she accomplished specific technical goals in her second run.
The Field Left in Their Wake
The duel between Rast and Shiffrin was in a league of its own. The rest of the field trailed far behind, with Rast's Swiss teammate Wendy Holdener finishing a distant third, 1.83 seconds off the pace. Paula Moltzan of the United States was fourth, the only other skier within two seconds of the winning time.
The race saw misfortune for other contenders. Defending slalom World Cup champion Zrinka Ljutić of Croatia failed to finish for the fourth time in six races this season. Italian prodigy Lara Colturi, competing for Albania, fell on the first run on a course set by her father and coach.
The Road to Milan Cortina 2026
This result intensifies the narrative for the upcoming Winter Games. Shiffrin, the slalom gold medallist from the 2014 Sochi Olympics, will face a newly confident Rast on the sport's biggest stage. The next slalom events are a night race in Flachau, Austria, on 13 January—where Rast triumphed last year—and a final pre-Olympic test in the Czech Republic on 25 January.
With the women's slalom at the Milan Cortina Olympics now clearly highlighted as a must-watch event, this Slovenian victory proves that the road to Olympic gold is wide open. The battle for slalom supremacy has been compellingly reignited.
