Mikaela Shiffrin won the downhill race in St. Moritz, Switzerland, gaining an early lead that held up throughout the event and securing her 91st World Cup race win. With this victory, Shiffrin extended her lead in the season-long standings by 195 points over Federica Brignone, the reigning overall champion. If Shiffrin earns an overall World Cup title this season, it will be her sixth, tying the record set by Austrian skier Annemarie Moser-Pröll in the 1970s. Shiffrin has five overall titles and is aiming for a sixth.
Shiffrin’s win put her 0.15 seconds ahead of Sofia Goggia, the standout downhill racer, who managed a strong performance. Watching from the finish area, Shiffrin was surprised and pleased to see that her lead had held. Goggia was followed by Federica Brignone who finished 0.17 seconds behind Shiffrin. The race marked the first high-quality podium for the season in the speed event.
Shiffrin has won four downhill races in her career and finished in the top ten in all five downhill starts last season despite prioritizing slalom and giant slalom. Her success at St. Moritz will motivate her to prepare for another super-G on Sunday.