Favorite Mikaela Shiffrin is off to strong start, will she win her 90th Cup?
Staff report
As the women’s World Cup athletes prepare to race Superstar in Killington this weekend, Mikaela Shiffrin is off to a strong start after her record-breaking season last year.
Shiffrin won the women’s World Cup slalom in Levi, Finland Sunday, Nov. 12, taking her 89th career win.
Shiffrin beat Slovakian Petra Vlhová after Vlhová did not finish her final run.
Her win came a week after she fell in a training run and suffered a bone bruise on her left knee.
It was Shiffrin’s record breaking seventh win in Levi. The victory earned Shiffrin her seventh reindeer —the prize at that race.
Either Shiffrin or Vlhova have won the Slalom at Levi every year since 2016.
In Giant Slalom, Shiffrin finished sixth in the season opener in Soelden, Austria on Oct. 28.
“The first (giant slalom) race of the season last year was Killington, and I was 13th,” Shiffrin told The Associated Press. “This year, I am sixth. It’s an improvement from the start last year.”
Shiffrin will come to Killington as the leader in World Cup points, thus far in the 2023-24 season.
Killington Resort received a positive snow control announcement from FIS (International Ski and Snowboard Federation), the governing body of the Audi FIS Ski World Cup, on Thursday, Nov. 16, assuring both the Giant Slalom and Slalom races will take place as scheduled on Nov. 25 and 26.
“We had a little more cooperation from Mother Nature this year, but as always, this is a testament to Killington’s powerful snowmaking system and expert team. We were able to take advantage of several windows over the past few weeks to run more than 130 guns at a time and lay down enough snow for the world’s best to compete,” said Killington President and General Manager Mike Solimano. “Athletes from around the globe are on their way to Vermont in the coming days, and the resort and entire Killington community are delighted to welcome them all. With the K-1 Lodge now fully complete and an awesome line-up of live entertainment, the seventh Stifel Killington Cup will be an incredible weekend of competition and camaraderie.”
General admission tickets are available for $10 at killington.com/worldcup. A portion of all tickets will benefit the Killington World Cup Foundation, providing grants that support winter sports in the Northeast. Limited weekend and Sunday VIP Packages are available through the Killington World Cup Foundation at kwcgivesback.org, gaining fans entry into the Great Gulf LiveKillington.com VIP Tent, in addition to premium seating.
For more info see pages 16-39.
Courtesy Killington Resort & US Ski & Snowboard
Mikaela Shiffrin, 28, has the most World Cup wins of any alpine skier in history (men or women) at 89. She has won the Killington Cup Slalom five of the six past races.
