“Beyond the limits of acceptable”
Despite victory: ski star Shiffrin upset after slalom
12/29/2025 – 1:09 p.mReading time: 1 min.
The American wins again in her favorite discipline, but the outcome bothers her considerably. She criticizes the situation sharply.
Mikaela Shiffrin is still unbeatable in the slalom – but after her fifth victory in the fifth race this winter, the American didn’t just talk about her success. At the World Cup in Semmering, she clearly criticized the organizers.
“The route was beyond the limit of acceptable,” said Shiffrin after the race on the Magic Mountain. In the first round, 39 of the 79 starters were eliminated – in extremely difficult conditions.
Before the second run, Shiffrin advocated for the course to be changed. “My understanding was that the way the course was set was not compliant with the rules. In the end they adjusted it so the problem was fixed and I’m really happy about that,” explained the 30-year-old.
What led to confusion was that Shiffrin exceeded the permitted time for inspecting the track due to discussions with the officials. However, there was no protest from the Austrian or Swiss associations. The jury did not classify the process as irregular.
Shiffrin stuck to her criticism: the conditions in the first run were not fair, especially for the athletes who started later. “It wasn’t safe for the female drivers. For me, no question, start number four in the first run, that’s no problem. But for the women who start with number 13, 15, 18 or in the 60s, that’s not okay.”