Mikaela Shiffrin ends season with record 21st giant slalom victory

SOLDEU, Andorra — Mikaela Shiffrin won her 21st career giant slalom in Sunday’s World Cup final as the American star finished the season with another record.

The victory moved Shiffrin ahead of Vreni Schneider, a week after equaling the Swiss skier’s mark of 20 World Cup giant slalom victories. The American has won seven of the last eight events and claimed the world giant slalom title last month.

The overall record, between men and women, is held by the great Swede Ingemar Stenmark, who won 46 giant slaloms in the 1970s and 1980s.

Shiffrin won the overall, slalom and giant slalom titles this season and took the all-time record for most career wins to 88.

On Sunday, Shiffrin also set a personal-best 2,206 World Cup points in 31 starts this season, two points more than her 2018-19 tally, when she competed in 26 races.

Only one skier has scored more points in a single season: Slovenian great Tina Maze ended her 2012-13 campaign with 2,414.

As the sun shone on the Avet course, Shiffrin held on to her first-run lead to edge Thea Louise Stjernesund by 0.06 seconds. The Norwegian clinched her first career podium.

Canadian skier Valérie Grenier finished third, trailing Shiffrin by 0.20.

Three of the seven top-ranked runners failed to complete their opening runs as Petra Vlhova, who won Saturday’s slalom, Federica Brignone and Olympic champion Sara Hector all missed a gate.

Two-time world champion Tessa Worley placed 11th in what she said was the last race of her career. The French giant slalom specialist has won 16 races and three titles this season, the most recent being last year.