AUDI FIS Ski World Cup, Killington

2021 HomeLight Killington Cup athlete profiles

Mikaela Shiffrin, a New Hampshire native and Burke Mountain Academy graduate, made her World Cup debut on March 11, 2011, racing Giant Slalom in the Czech Republic. That April, just a few weeks after her 16th birthday, she won the Slalom title at the U.S. National Championships at Winter Park, Colorado, and became the youngest American ski racer to claim a national Alpine crown.

Since then, Shiffrin has continued to add medals and records to her name.

She’s won 11 World Cup Season titles (3 overall, 6 Slalom, 1 Super-G, 1 Giant Slalom); six World Championship titles (4 Slalom, 1 Super G, 1 Alpine Combined); and 3 Olympic medals (gold in Slalom, gold in Giant Slalom and silver in Alpine Combined).

She current holds the records for:

  • The youngest Slalom champion in Olympic Alpine skiing history, at 18.
  • Tied for the most Olympic gold medals ever won by an American in Alpine skiing.
  • The most decorated American Alpine skier in the history of the World Championships, (winning four medals last February she now has six gold and nine total medals).
  • The only Alpine skier with wins in all six FIS Alpine Ski World Cup disciplines.
  • The youngest skier to win 50 World Cup races, at the age of 23.
  • The most World Cup Slalom victories of all Alpine skiers (45), and the second most all-time World Cup victories by female skiers (70, behind Lindsey Vonn with 82).
  • The only athlete to have won 15 races in the same calendar year (2018 season), a record she improved in the 2019 season, winning 17 World Cup races in a single season.

At the HomeLight Killington Cup Shiffrin has been flawless in the Slalom event, winning the race each of the past four events. 

But she has yet to top the podium in Giant Slalom at Killington: In 2016 she took fifth, in 2017 she got on the podium with a second place finish, in 2018 she placed fourth, and in 2019 she again podiumed with a third place finish. Perhaps 2021 will be her year to win both events?!

Something you may not know about Shiffrin is that she has a small herd of reindeer — the annual prize for the Levi World Cup victor! Their names are Rudolph (2013), Sven (2016), Mr. Gru (2018), and Ingemar (2019), according to usskiandsnowboard.org.

Petra Vlhova was the Overall World Cup winner last season, 2021. She has four World Cup season titles in three disciplines (1 overall, 1 Slalom, 2 Parallel).

Vlhova debuted in World Cup racing in 2012, with her first podium in 2015 — winning Slalom.  

In 2018, she finished the season fourth in Slalom and fifth overall. Her best Olympic finish was fifth in Alpine Combined. 

In 2019, she placed second in Slalom and Giant Slalom with a second place overall ranking.

In 2020, she won the World Cup season title in Slalom and Parallel and placed second in Giant Slalom. She placed third overall for the season.

In 2021, she was the overall World Cup season winner. She also won the season title in Parallel and took third in Slalom.

At the Killington Cup: In 2016 she placed fifth in Slalom and 13th in Giant Slalom; in 2017 she placed second in Slalom and 10th in Giant Slalom; in 2018 she placed second in Slalom and seventh in Giant Slalom; in 2019 she placed second in Slalom and sixth in Giant Slalom.

Anna Swenn-Larsson made her World Cup debut in Slalom in 2010; her first podium came on home snow at Åre, Sweden, in March 2014, with a third place finish. 

Recent World Cup highlights include:
In 2018, she finished ninth in Slalom. At the 2018 Winter Olympics she finished fifth in Slalom. 

In 2019, she finished the season fourth in Slalom. 

In 2020, she finished the season fifth in Slalom for the World Cup. At the World Championships, she finished second in Slalom.

Last season she did not race due to a broken ankle she suffered in training early in the season, which required surgery.  

At the Killington Cup: In 2016 she did not finish her first Slalom run, in 2017 she placed sixth in Slalom, in 2018 she placed seventh in Slalom, in 2019 she placed third. She has not competed in the Giant Slalom event at Killington.

Tessa Worley debuted on the World Cup circuit in 2006. While she has competed in all five Alpine disciplines, she specializes in Giant Slalom and won the World Cup season title in that event in 2017.

Recent World Cup highlights include:
In 2018, she finished the season second in Giant Slalom. 

In 2019, she finished the season third in Giant Slalom.

In 2020, she finished eighth in Giant Slalom. 

In 2021, she ended the World Cup season in third place again for Giant Slalom.

At the Killington Cup: In 2016, she won the Giant Slalom; in 2017 she placed sixth in Giant Slalom, in 2018 and 2019 she placed fifth in Giant Slalom. She has not raced Slalom at Killington.

Katharina Liensberger specializes in the technical events of Slalom and Giant Slalom. In fact, she was crowned last season’s overall Slalom winner. 

She made her World Cup debut in 2017 at the age of 19. At the Winter Olympics in 2018 she placed eighth in Slalom.

Her first World Cup victories came in March 2021 when she won two Slalom races back-to-back in Sweden and Switzerland. Her Slalom record last season earned her the World Cup Slalom season title. She is also the current world champion in the Slalom and Parallel Giant Slalom.

In 2018 she placed 14th in Slalom; in 2019, she place seventh in the Slalom and 12th in the Giant Slalom; in 2020, she placed third in Slalom, 13th in Giant Slalom and 16th overall. In 2021, she won the Slalom title, placed 5th overall and 10th in Giant Slalom. 

At the Killington Cup: In 2016, she did not race. In 2017, she placed 15th in Slalom and did not qualify for a second run in Giant Slalom. In 2018, she placed ninth in Giant Slalom and 15th in Slalom. In 2019, she finished sixth in Slalom and did not qualify for a second run in Giant Slalom.

Alice Robinson is a New Zealand ski racer who specializes in Giant Slalom and Super-G. She made her World Cup debut on Jan. 6, 2018, in a Giant Slalom race in Slovenia, where she missed the cut to qualify for a second run by less than a second. Three days later, she won in Giant Slalom in Austria.

At the 2018 Winter Olympics, she competed in Giant Slalom and Slalom at age 16 and in doing so became New Zealand’s youngest winter Olympian. She finished 35th in Giant Slalom and did not finish her first run of Slalom.

Recent World Cup highlights include:
In October 2019, Robinson gained her first World Cup win in Austria, 0.06 seconds ahead of runner-up Shiffrin. She finished the World Cup season in 19th for Giant Slalom. 

In 2020, that standing improved to fifth in Giant Slalom. 

In 2021 she finished the World Cup season in eighth for Giant Slalom. 

Robinson had her debut Killington Cup race in 2019 when she competed in Giant Slalom, but did not finish her first run.

Federica Brignone made her World Cup debut in 2007, and entered the circuit in 2010.

She competes in all Alpine disciplines, with a focus on Giant Slalom and Super G. She also won the World Cup overall title in 2020. In total she has three World Cup titles (1 overall, 1 Giant Slalom, 1 Alpine Combined). She has raced in the past three Winter Olympics (2010, 2014, and 2018), earning bronze in Giant Slalom in 2018.

In 2018, she finished the season third in Alpine Combined, fifth in Giant Slalom and sixth in Super-G. At the 2018 Winter Olympics, she won bronze in Giant Slalom, placed sixth in Super-G and eighth in the Alpine Combined. 

In 2019, she won the Alpine Combined, placed fifth in Giant Slalom, 8th in Super G and sixth overall.

In 2020, she won the overall World Cup title as well as the title in Giant Slalom and Alpine Combined. She also finished the season second in Super G and third in both Downhill and Parallel. 

In 2021, she finished second in Super G and fifth in Giant Slalom.

At the Killington Cup: In 2016, she placed eighth in Giant Slalom; in 2017 she placed fifth in Giant Slalom; in 2018 she won the Giant Slalom, and in 2019 she placed second in Giant Slalom. She has not placed in the top 20 in Slalom at the Killington Cup.

Marta Bassino made her World Cup debut in March 2014 at age 18. She competes in all disciplines, with a focus in Giant Slalom. Her first World Cup win was in Giant Slalom at Killington in 2019. In that year Bassino became the first Italian skier to podium in five disciplines in the same season.

Last season Bassino won four of the first five Giant Slalom races and clinched the World Cup season title in that event (her first title).

Recent World Cup highlights include: In 2018 she finished the season fourth in Alpine Combined and 12th in the Giant Slalom. At the 2018 Olympics she finished fifth in the Giant Slalom and 10th in Alpine Combined.

In 2019, she finished the season ninth in both Giant Slalom and Alpine Combined.

In 2020, she finished fourth in Giant Slalom, fifth overall, and sixth in both Alpine Combined and in Parallel.

In 2021, she won the season title for Giant Slalom, placed fifth in Parallel, and sixth in both Super G and overall.

At the Killington Cup: In 2016 she placed fourth in the Giant Slalom; in 2017 she finished 12th in Giant Slalom; in 2018 she placed 11th in Giant Slalom; in 2019 she won the Giant Slalom. She has not placed in the top 20 in Slalom at the Killington Cup.

Sofia Goggia made her World Cup debut in 2011. She specializes in the speed events of Downhill and Super G, winning a gold medal in Downhill at the Winter Olympics in 2018. She has also won two World Cup season titles, both in Downhill.

Goggia attained her first World Cup podium in November 2016, a third place in Giant Slalom at Killington.

Recent World Cup highlights include: In 2018 she won the Downhill season title, placed fourth overall and fifth in Super G. 

In 2019, she finished the season seventh in Downhill and 14th in Super G.

In 2020, she finished eighth in Super G, 17th in Downhill and 11th overall. 

In 2021, she reclaimed her season title in Downhill.

At the Killington Cup: In 2016 she placed third in Giant Slalom; in 2017 she placed 15th in Giant Slalom, in 2018 she did not race, in 2019 she place 11th in Giant Slalom. She has not raced Slalom at Killington.

Lara Gut-Behrami is a Swiss World Cup Alpine ski racer who competes in all disciplines and specializes in the speed events of Super G and Downhill. She began placing atop the podium in World Cup events at age 17. In 2014, she claimed seven World Cup wins and her first World Cup title in Super G, finishing the season third overall. In the 2016 season she won the Overall World Cup. In total she has four World Cup season titles
(1 overall, 3 Super G).

At the 2014 Olympics, she took the bronze in Downhill, finishing 0.10 seconds behind two racers who tied to win the gold that year.

At the 2018 Olympic Games she just missed the podium finishing fourth in Super G. She did not finish in the Giant Slalom and Downhill events.

In 2018 she finished the World Cup season second in Super G. In 2019, her best World Cup finish was seventh in Super G.

In 2020, she finished fourth in both Super G and Downhill and seventh overall.

The 2021 season was one of the most successful of her career thus far. She won the World Cup title in Super G, finished second overall and third in Downhill for the World Cup season. At the World Championships she won Giant Slalom and Super G and came in third in Downhill. 

At the Killington Cup: In 2016 she did not finish the Giant Slalom. In 2017 she placed 23rd in the Giant Slalom. In 2018 and 2019 she placed 19th in the Giant Slalom. She has not raced Slalom at Killington.

Wendy Holdener came to the World Cup circuit after earning a full set of medals from the 2011 Junior World Championships. She has won two World Cup season titles, both in Alpine Combined. 

Recent World Cup highlights include: In 2018, she won Alpine Combined and placed second both in Slalom and overall for the season. At the 2018 Winter Olympics, she won the Alpine Team event, placed second in Slalom, third in Alpine Combined and ninth in Giant Slalom.

In the 2019 season, she finished third in Slalom and in the Alpine Combined with a third place overall ranking.

In the 2020 season, she place second in Alpine Combined.

In 2021, she finished the season fifth in Slalom.

At the Killington Cup: In 2016 she placed third in Slalom and 18th in Giant Slalom; in 2017 she did not finish her second run of Slalom and placed 19th in Giant Slalom; in 2018 she placed sixth in both Slalom and Giant Slalom; in 2019 she again did not finish her second run of Slalom and placed eighth in Giant Slalom.

Michelle Gisin is a Swiss World Cup Alpine ski racer who competes in all disciplines. She became an Olympic gold medalist having won the women’s Alpine Combined event at the 2018 winter games (following in the footsteps of her sister, Dominique Gisin, who won gold in downhill in the 2014 Games).

At her first World Cup start in the 2017 season, she took a seventh place in downhill, then got her first podium finish placing second in Alpine Combined. Later that season she took silver in Alpine Combined at the World Championships.

Recent World Cup highlights include: In 2018 she finished the season second in Alpine Combined. In 2019, she ended ninth in Downhill. In 2020, she finished eighth in both the Alpine Combined and Slalom events as well as eighth overall. In 2021, she placed third overall and fourth in both Slalom and Giant Slalom for the season.

At the Killington Cup: In 2016 she finished 19th in Slalom, in 2017 she finished 10th in Slalom, in 2018 she finished fifth in Slalom and 25th in Giant Slalom, in 2019 she finished fourth in Giant Slalom and ninth in Slalom.

Nina O’Brien specializes in the technical events of Giant Slalom and Slalom. She finished 9th place in the World Cup season opener Giant Slalom in Solden, Austria, Oct. 23. She made her World Cup debut at the Killington Cup race in 2016 in the Giant Slalom event.

She won the 2019 NorAm overall title, and was first in Slalom, first in Giant Slalom, first in Super G, third in Alpine Combined, and sixth in Downhill. 

Last season, she had her first top 10 World Cup finish placing ninth in the Slalom in Semmering, Austria. At the World Championship she placed sixth in the team event, and 10th in both the Parallel and Giant Slalom.

A Colorado native, O’Brien raced at Burke Mountain Academy in Vermont and then raced for Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.

At the Killington Cup: While she participated in 2016 and 2017, it wasn’t until 2018 that she scored her first World Cup points of her career at the Killington Cup placing 23rd in Slalom. In 2019 she finished 28th in Giant Slalom but did not finish her first Slalom run.

Paula Moltzan is an American World Cup Alpine ski racer and specializes in Slalom.

Moltzan raced collegiately for the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont, and won the NCAA title in Slalom in 2017.

She rejoined the World Cup circuit for the 2018–19 season, and finished 18th in Slalom at the World Championships in 2019.

In 2021, she finished the World Cup season 11th in Slalom. Her best World Cup finish and only World Cup podium race was Nov. 26, 2020 when she placed second in Parallel in Austria. 

At the Killington Cup: In 2017 she did not finish her first Slalom run; in 2018 she finished 17th in Slalom, in 2019 she did not finish her first Slalom run. She has not raced Giant Slalom at Killington.

AJ Hurt is an American World Cup Alpine ski racer who competes in Slalom, Giant Slalom, Super-G, and Alpine Combined events.

She made her World Cup debut in October 2018, with her first World Cup points earned last season. 

At the World Championships in 2021, she placed 29th in Super G.

Her best World Cup finish was Dec. 14, 2020, when she took 18th in the Giant Slalom in France.

At the Killington Cup: in 2017 she did not qualify for a second run of the Giant Slalom, in 2018 she did not finish her first run, and in 2019 she did not qualify for a second run in Giant Slalom. She has not raced Slalom at Killington.

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