Mikaela Shiffrin heads to Špindlerův Mlýn, Czechia, this weekend determined to continue her dominant 2025/26 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup campaign as the season edges closer to the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.
The Czech resort hosts the final women’s World Cup races before the Olympic build-up intensifies, with slalom on Friday, 24 January, and giant slalom on Saturday, 25 January. It marks a long-awaited return to Špindlerův Mlýn, which last staged World Cup action three years ago.
The American superstar arrives in red-hot form. Shiffrin, a double Olympic champion, secured her sixth slalom victory in seven starts this season with a commanding performance at Flachau on 13 January. The result underlined her continued mastery of the discipline she has long ruled.
Her only slalom defeat this winter came in Kranjska Gora, where Swiss world champion Camille Rast edged her into second place. Aside from that rare setback, Shiffrin has been untouchable between the gates.
While slalom remains her strongest event, Shiffrin has also shown steady progress in giant slalom. She has narrowly missed the podium three times this season, finishing fourth on each occasion — most recently at Kronplatz on 20 January — signalling that a breakthrough result could be close.
Heading into the Czech stop, Shiffrin leads both the overall World Cup standings and the slalom rankings, reinforcing her status as the woman to beat. In giant slalom, she currently sits fifth overall, chasing a tightly packed field at the top.
Austria’s Julia Scheib will be one of the main rivals in giant slalom after taking victory at Kronplatz. That win was Scheib’s fourth of the season and her sixth podium in seven GS starts, keeping her firmly in control of the discipline standings.
With momentum, history, and Olympic stakes all converging, Špindlerův Mlýn promises a crucial and compelling World Cup weekend — and another chance for Shiffrin to underline why she remains alpine skiing’s benchmark.
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