Mikaela Shiffrin records second win of Levi weekend, moves closer to Ingemar Stenmark record

Updated 20/11/2022 at 14:34 GMT

A surprising and strong second run from Wendy Holdener saw her take the top spot in the second race of the weekend at Levi. However, Mikaela Shiffrin came in as the last racer and recorded her second victory of the weekend, leaving her with 200 points ahead of the races in Killington, Vermont next weekend. Stream the 2022-23 Alpine Skiing season live on Eurosport and discovery+.

'Absolutely brilliant!' - Shiffrin makes it two from two in Levi with brilliant performance

Mikaela Shiffrin recorded back-to-back slalom victories this weekend, becoming the first woman to win the first two races of the Alpine skiing World Cup season in almost three decades.

Shiffrin followed her 75th World Cup victory with another in Levi, Finland, winning consecutive races for the first time since 2019, and earning her 200 points to start the season. She is now ten wins away from matching the magical number of 86, held by the legendary Ingemar Stenmark.

The 27-year-old was the fastest in both runs, winning by a margin of 0.28 of a second over Wendy Holdener, while Petra Vlhova managed third.

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"I really didn't expect today," Shiffrin said after her victory. "Everyone who is racing is so strong right now. There has been a bit of luck. My coaches have been working like crazy with the US girls.

"It was pretty perfect. I am really happy with the second run there. I was really pushing. Two races in a row is a big effort.

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"It is never easy, but in the moment that I needed to be, I was tough, so that's good."

When asked why she seems to find so much success in Levi, she replied: "I don't know exactly. I try to ski well, and these two days, I did that."

'Really didn't expect today!' - Shiffrin says the field is more competitive than ever

The victory means that Shiffrin extended her record for the most wins for any man or woman in a single discipline with her 49th in slalom, with the possibility for her to win 50 in Killington, Vermont, next weekend, where she'll be the favourite.

"I love to race in Killington no matter what. It's kind of home crowd.

"I'm just going to enjoy that and try to ski well, but it's hard. There is pressure, and I try to let the pressure go, but it's always there, so I have to earn it again. I can enjoy this for 15 minutes, but then I have to earn it all again tomorrow and the next day, and every day after that."

The American skier was also questioned on where she finds her confidence, and she said: "To be honest, confidence for me is not a thing. I just go for it. I try to ski well. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't."

Shiffrin became the first woman to win the first two races of the season since Anita Wachter in 1993. She now trails Lindsey Vonn by six wins for the career women’s record across all disciplines

Holdener's second place means that the Swiss has now recorded 30 podium finishes in the women's slalom in the World Cup without recording a win, but she kept a positive attitude telling Eurosport: "I had so many good turns and a lot of fun. I am really happy that I could improve from yesterday."