Mikaela Shiffrin holds off Emma Aicher to win record-equalling sixth World Cup overall title
Updated 25/03/2026 at 14:15 GMT
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Mikaela Shiffrin won a record-equalling sixth overall World Cup title after finishing 11th in the season-ending giant slalom in Lillehammer, Norway. The American needed a top-15 finish on Wednesday to guarantee the title ahead of Germany’s Emma Aicher, and despite sitting 17th after her first run, a composed second run saw her climb the standings and finish with an 87-point lead in the standings.
‘Signed, sealed, delivered’ – Shiffrin creates history with another World Cup title
Video credit: TNT Sports
Mikaela Shiffrin secured a record-equalling sixth overall World Cup title on Wednesday after surviving a late scare in Lillehammer.
The American went into the season-ending giant slalom 85 points clear of Emma Aicher, knowing a top-15 finish would seal the overall crystal globe.
But there was tension early on as Shiffrin could only manage 17th in the first run, while Aicher sat third to keep the pressure firmly on.
A composed second run proved enough, though, as Shiffrin recorded the seventh-best time out of the field, earning her an 11th-placed finish in Wednesday's event.
Speaking afterwards, Shiffrin said: "It's quite emotional. This thing sums up a whole season of work and fighting with the whole team.
"I have to say to Emma that her skiing has been just outstanding, and today it was just so cool to watch her, especially on the first run.
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‘The most emotional moment’ – Shiffrin reflects on ‘crazy’ World Cup triumph
Video credit: TNT Sports
"I really thought that the outcome of this day is that she can do this, and that's the coolest thing about ski racing, that anything is possible.
"I'm really, really grateful to be in this position now. It's a big emotion, and I'm also grateful for the fight."
Aicher, who already knew her fate by her second run, registered the slowest time of all the skiers, meaning she finished one place behind Shiffrin in Wednesday's giant slalom, and 87 points behind her in the overall standings.
Aicher, 22, finished 274 points ahead of Switzerland's Camille Rast in the overall standings, while Italy's Sofia Goggia was a further 67 points behind in fourth.
Shiffrin’s sixth title matches Austrian downhill great Annemarie Moser-Proll for the women's World Cup record.
Moser-Proll won five successive titles from 1971-75 before claiming a sixth in 1979, while Shiffrin won her first three titles from 2017-19 and then went back-to-back in 2022 and 2023.
The American put herself in a great position on Wednesday after winning yet another slalom on Tuesday, her ninth in 10 World Cup starts this season.
The slalom victory saw her become the first woman to win nine races in the same discipline in a season, while it was her 110th career race win, comfortably the most in the World Cup of any man or woman, with Ingmar Stenmark the closest rival on 86.
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Speaking after Tuesday's victory, she said: ”This is just a symbol of the work that my team is putting in and all the support I’ve had these years, especially the last three years, to get back to the chance to be that high level and to win a globe.
”With the injuries and with everything, it took a big effort from my team.”
Shiffrin sustained an abdominal puncture wound in November 2024, that required surgery and saw her miss two months of racing. She has also previously injured her MCL.
It continues an excellent start to the year for the 31-year-old, who became the most decorated US alpine skier in Olympic history at the Winter Olympic Games last month.
Her victory in the women’s slalom saw her set the record for the most gold medals, with three, while equalling the record for the most medals by a woman, with four.
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