Mikaela Shiffrin, the alpine skiing GOAT, stepped foot at the Rettenbach Glacier with big hopes for her 100th career win. As the 1st day of women’s events concluded on October 28, The Audi FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup 2023/24 girds up for the next. Having said that, it’s time for the 28-year-old Olympian to redeem her position, following a major upset on the 1st day.

When the 28-year-old cemented her position as the youngest Giant Slalom champ at just 18, she knew what lay ahead. Now, with five World Cup all-around titles in her name, she appeared for a season conclusion in Austria first. But, unexpectedly, her level-pegging competitor, Lara Gut-Behrami, pushed her to 6th after run 2 in her signature Giant Slalom. However, the 2-time Olympic gold medalist’s run for more career wins stays open.

Mikaela Shiffrin announces her next game

On the first day, Shiffrin locked horns with ski greats like Sara Hector, Federica Brignone, Petra Vlhova, and Lara Gut-Behrami among others. When the Olympian kick started with her 89th World cup in mind, she had a strict mindset. Losing some time in the initial sectors, she failed to make up, despite building up momentum towards the end. As a result, she added +1.19 to the leading score, trailing behind Petra Vlhova in third. But losing the first attempt doesn’t assert an overall loss.

 

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In Threads, the popular Instagram conversation app boasted Shiffrin’s worth-the-wait post. She wrote, Moving Right Along…next stop. Land of….” Though her use of emojis was unique, netizens struggled to decipher. Having said that, the Olympian chose to clear the air and wrote, “Finland 🇫🇮.” According to the complete World Cup schedule, women’s Slalom run 1 and 2 is going to take place in Levi, Finland.

However, the American alpine skier’s Swiss competition outperformed her this time. Keeping her sportsmanship active at 32, Behrami clinched her highly awaited 38th career win.

Shiffrin’s loss didn’t dim her spirit

Shiffrin prepared herself well for her six all-around women’s titles in the 2023/24 World Cup series. But things didn’t go as planned. Behrami, whom Federica Brignone shifted to fourth in run 1, gave a hard blow to her competitors with a combined total of 2:18.94.

With Brignone in overall second and Vlhova in third, Shiffrin lauded the women’s performance despite a loss. She said, “I think there is a lot for everybody to learn from them, and Lara especially…that was really pretty sweet to watch.” Moreover, the 2022 World Cup champ shed light on some slope difficulties. Said, “It was a little bit messy in some spots. I was just not able to execute perfectly.”

READ MORE: Is Winter the Real Competition for Mikaela Shiffrin and Marco Odermatt This FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup 2023/24

However, the thrilling showdown placed the Olympian in top 10, who awaits a podium finish in Levi on November 11. As fans pray to see their favorite athlete in action, the 28-year-old looks forward to a 100-win run in the 2023/24 season.

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