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US' Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates with the globe trophy after the women's Slalom race of the FIS Alpin Ski World Cup finals in Kvitfjell. Cornelius Poppe/NTB/dpa
US ski superstar Mikaela Shiffrin moved to the brink of a sixth overall World Cup title after winning the penultimate race of the season in Hafjell, Norway on Tuesday.
The Olympic champion triumphed in the slalom, a record-extending 110th World Cup victory, to increase her lead over German rival Emma Aicher to 85 points pending Wednesday's season-ending giant slalom. A win is worth 100 points.
"We are both going to try and have a nap probably and give it one last push," Shiffrin said.
"This season has been so exciting. Quite like a whirlwind, with all the wonderful races we have had and the Olympics. I am grateful for it."
The 31-year-old built a big lead after the first run and completed an unprecedented ninth women's slalom win out of 10 World Cup races this season. She set 2 minutes 07.61 seconds to leave Wendy Holdener 1.32 seconds behind in second. Aicher was third.
Shiffrin had long sealed a record ninth slalom title but is targeting a first overall success since 2023.
"I think this is just a symbol of the work my team have been putting in," she said on receiving the small globe.
Aicher would be the first German overall Alpine World Cup winner since Maria Riesch in 2011. But she needs everything to go her way on Wednesday despite never having won a giant slalom race at the top level.
PinheiroBraathen cheered
Norway-born Lucas Pinheiro Braathen also snatched the men's World Cup giant slalom title in the final discipline race of the season after overall champion Marco Odermatt skied out early on while leading the standings.
Swiss men's ski icon Odermatt had already wrapped up a fifth overall crystal globe and was hoping to add giant slalom glory to downhill and super-g success this season in Hafjell.
But his hopes of a fifth straight giant slalom title all but ended almost immediately when he erred at the top of the course as the first skier in the opening run.
That gave Pinheiro Braathen the opportunity to leapfrog his rival and he did so in style by leading the first run and then winning the race for a first World Cup discipline title for a skier representing Brazil.
"It is overwhelming," he said, adding he was "immensely proud" to win as a Brazilian.
"I hope it inspires kids to really believe in who they are, even if they feel a bit different at times."
The 25-year-old set a combined 2:20.65, 0.58 ahead of Loic Meillard, with Atle Lie McGrath third.
Pinheiro Braathen, who won Olympic giant slalom gold last month for Brazil's first Winter Games triumph, had previously won a slalom crystal globe in 2023 but that was when he raced for Norway before a switch of allegiance.
A row with the Norwegian federation led him to ski for his mother's birthplace of Brazil after missing the 2023 season.
He ended up beating Odermatt by 52 points in this season's giant slalom standings with an eighth World Cup win on the Norwegian course he knows well. He was cheered by local fans despite his history.
Despite the overall title and two discipline globes, Odermatt may view his season with regret after missing gold at the Milan/Cortina Olympics as well as Tuesday's giant slalom crown.
Former overall champion Alexis Pinturault of France finished 11th in his final race before retirement.
The season ends on Wednesday with a men's slalom as well as Shiffrin's expected crowning in the women's giant slalom. Norway's McGrath is looking to sew up the men's slalom title.
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Norwegian-Brazilian alpine skier Lucas Pinheiro Braathen celebrates after the men's giant slalom race of the FIS Alpin Ski World Cup finals in Kvitfjell. Cornelius Poppe/NTB/dpa
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