Levi Without Shiffrin: Vlhova Returns to the Fight for Victory

The start of the women’s World Cup alpine skiing slalom season in Levi will be particularly noteworthy this time. For the first time since 2016, Mikaela Shiffrin will not be on the podium at the Finnish venue: on Saturday, 14 November, the American will miss the race. So the main question before the start is not only who will win, but also who will manage to end the long-standing dominance of Levi’s two leading protagonists.

Over the past 10 years, slaloms at the Finnish resort have been won exclusively by Shiffrin or Petra Vlhová. In each of the last six races in Levi, it was Mikaela who finished first. She has 73 World Cup slalom victories and nine “Small Crystal Globes” in the discipline to her name, but this season the athlete has decided to focus her efforts elsewhere. We will see her in the slalom later on — Shiffrin will compete neither in Levi nor in Gurgl.

For Petra Vlhová, this event will mark her return to full-scale competition on the course. The Slovak alpine skier knows perfectly well how to win in Levi: she has already stood on the top step of the podium here six times. A seventh success on Finnish snow currently looks a difficult task, but Vlhová’s return to competition is hugely significant in itself. The last time she took part in a World Cup slalom was 34 months ago, in January 2024.

“My ambitions remain the same: I want to give it my all, perform at the highest possible level and, of course, win. That competitive spirit is still alive in me,” said Vlhová, who has won 22 World Cup slalom events in her career.

The 2022 Olympic champion admits that she currently feels well, both physically and mentally. “I’m healthy, happy and grateful to be back doing what I love,” Petra said.

According to her, the past few years have been difficult: operations, rehabilitation and hard work have noticeably changed her attitude to life. “I have a different mindset now. I realised that life is not only about sport, and I’ve learnt to appreciate every moment. I’m enjoying this journey, thinking about the present and looking ahead to what awaits me with great optimism,” the athlete said.

Vlhová is particularly looking forward to meeting the fans again. She called them a huge part of her career and admitted that she had missed them greatly. “I can’t wait to share the emotions with them again,” the Slovak alpine skier added.

Camille Rast is considered one of the leading contenders for victory in Levi. The Swiss skier enjoyed a brilliant season: she won a silver medal at the Olympics in Cortina and finished last winter second in the slalom standings. However, the Finnish race did not go well for her a year ago — Rast finished only 15th. But that result is unlikely to deter her from fighting for the highest positions.

Another Swiss representative, Wendy Holdener, comes to the start with enormous experience. During her career she has won five Olympic medals — one gold, two silver and two bronze — as well as nine World Championship medals: three gold and six silver.

In Shiffrin’s absence, Holdener may have the opportunity to challenge for victories more often. Wendy has finished on the World Cup podium 41 times, but has won only two races. Now she is also thinking about the “Small Crystal Globe” in the slalom.

“Although it is not the main goal of the season, if I find myself in a position to fight for the ‘Crystal Globe’ in the slalom, I’ll know that I’m doing everything right,” Holdener said.

The Swiss skier finished last season second in the final race in Lillehammer. She has reached the podium four times in Levi, finishing second on three occasions. Holdener finished in the top 10 in every World Cup slalom last season, and came fourth at the Olympics.

“I still see room for improvement, and I enjoy working on myself. I’ve always said that as long as I enjoy it, I won’t retire. I’m healthy and in good shape, I can fight for the lead and I want to continue competing,” Wendy stressed.

American Paula Moltzan gained additional confidence ahead of the start. At the end of October, she claimed the first victory of her career by winning the giant slalom in Sölden. It was an especially important achievement for the athlete after 14 years competing in the World Cup.

“I’m hugely happy that it has finally happened,” Moltzan said. Her first success has not diminished her appetite, however: “Knowing that I’m capable of winning also makes me want more. I don’t think it will radically change my approach to the season, but it definitely helps to strengthen my confidence in my abilities.”

Last season, Paula finished in the top five seven times in 10 races. A year ago in Levi she came fourth, and now she is hoping to take another step forward. The American notes that slalom requires a particularly large number of quick decisions and constantly changing nuances.

“Slalom seems more chaotic to me. Confidence and consistency are hugely important to me. The more I trust my skiing in that chaos, the better my chances of reaching the podium will be,” Moltzan explained.

However, young stars are already pressing the experienced athletes hard. For two years, Emma Aicher considered slalom her best discipline. Last season, the German alpine skier narrowly missed out on winning the World Cup downhill, but slalom remains one of her strengths.

In November 2025 in Levi, Aicher finished third. After that, she reached the podium four more times, securing a top-three finish in each of the last three races. Emma has yet to win a slalom, but her results suggest that the arrival of the German athlete on the top step of the podium is only a matter of time.

A similar situation is emerging for 19-year-old Lara Colturi of Albania. Aicher and Colturi have five slalom podium finishes each, but neither has yet won a race in the discipline. Lara made a strong start to the current season: she finished second in the giant slalom in Sölden, ahead of Aicher.

The start of last winter also brought notable successes for Colturi, particularly in the slalom. Twice in a row she finished behind only Mikaela Shiffrin, and at the end of November 2025 she came third in the slalom in Copper Mountain. The remaining question is whether the Albanian athlete can continue this successful run in the new season.

The first run of the women’s slalom in Levi will begin at 12:00 Moscow time, with the second at 15:00.

Photo: footage from Eurosport and SRF Sport television channels; FIS press service 12:44 13.11.26