The Queen of slalom is back on top, with Mikaela Shiffrin winning the first slalom race and her first podium of the 2025-26 FIS Alpine World Cup season in Levi, Finland.

It was Shiffrin’s show from start to finish, with the Alpine legend taking an early one-second lead after the first run of the day.  Her second run was, if possible, even more perfect. The victory is Shiffrin's ninth on the course, 65 in slalom and 102 overall, with the margin of victory eclipsing 1.5 seconds.

"It is starting to feel more like home. I really enjoy being here, and I am so happy to kick off the slalom season,” Shiffrin said after the race. "It’s really important to start with a good mentality, so it was great to start the slalom season with two good runs.”

Rising star Lara Colturi of Albania was electric on her 19th birthday, racing to second place behind Shiffrin. After her run, Colturi was serenaded with a happy birthday song by the crowd in recognition of her performance.

Germany’s Emma Aicher climbed to the third step of the podium with a strong second run, catapulting her from seventh. It is the 22-year-old's first ever World Cup podium in a slalom race.

After making a rare mistake in her first run of the day, 2022 Olympian and 2023 world champion, Paula Moltzan, ended the first run in 19th place. However, a standout run from the technical specialist helped her bounce back, finishing just off the podium in fourth.

"After a challenging first run, I knew I needed to shift into another gear to find a lot of time," Moltzan said about her race. "I am super happy with my skiing second run, I felt like I was able to make some of my best turns. 

After two races of the 2025-26 season, the U.S. team is proving itself as the team to beat. In the overall standings, Shiffrin and Moltzan hold the top-two spots, while the U.S. team has scored a total of 374 points in the women’s nations cup, 184 points clear of second place Austria.  

"Mikaela put on an absolute clinic on how to ski Levi," Moltzan said. "She continues to impress everyone with her skiing."

However, behind Shiffrin and Moltzan, the U.S. team struggled in Levi compared to its performance three weeks ago in giant slalom. 

Nina O’Brien, who was brilliant in Soelden with a sixth-place finish, recorded a surprising DNF during run one. She was joined by teammates AJ Hurt, who finished in 13th three weeks ago, and Annika Hunt, who were unable to complete their first runs. Liv Moritz did complete her first run for the U.S. but finished in 54th and didn’t qualify for a second run.

Now, all heads will turn toward the men’s slalom in Levi. The first runs will take place at 4:00 a.m. ET on Sunday.