KRANJSKA GORA, SLOVENIA — In a season that seemed destined for an unblemished march to the Olympic podium, the “unbeatable” Mikaela Shiffrin finally met her match. On a crisp Sunday in the Julian Alps, Swiss sensation Camille Rast accomplished what no other skier had done in the 2025-26 season: she relegated the greatest of all time to the second step of the podium.
The defeat in Kranjska Gora brought an end to Shiffrin’s dominant six-race winning streak in the slalom. More importantly, it served as a thunderous wake-up call for the American superstar just weeks before the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics officially begin on February 6.
The Duel in Slovenia
The margin of victory was razor-thin—just 0.14 seconds—but the narrative was profound. Rast, the reigning 2025 slalom world champion, arrived in Slovenia in peak form, having already claimed the giant slalom title on Saturday.
Rast set the tone early, leading Shiffrin by a narrow 0.10 seconds after the first run. In the final leg, Shiffrin threw down a vintage performance, crossing the line with a massive lead over the rest of the field and pumping her fist in a rare display of raw emotion. However, Rast, the final skier of the day, refused to buckle under the pressure of the 106-time World Cup winner. Clocking a second-run time of 49.96, the Swiss skier held her nerve and her lead to sweep the weekend’s technical events.
“Today, how I saw her ski the first run, I had to go 120 percent in order to have a shot,” Shiffrin admitted after embracing Rast in the finish area. “Her skiing is so strong, and it’s been building, building, building. It was a big, amazing day for her.”
Stats and Stakes
Until Sunday, Shiffrin’s season had been a statistical anomaly. She entered the race undefeated in slalom for the 2025-26 campaign, with her previous victories coming by an average margin of over 1.2 seconds—an eternity in a sport often decided by hundredths.
Despite the loss, Shiffrin’s resume remains the gold standard of alpine skiing:
* 106 Career Wins: The most by any skier in history.
* 69 Slalom Victories: A world record for a single discipline.
* Overall Leader: She maintains a 120-point lead over Rast in the overall World Cup standings.
Looking Toward Milano Cortina
For Shiffrin, the loss is less a failure and more a strategic calibration. The 30-year-old indicated that she was satisfied with her technical execution, noting that she achieved specific technical goals during her second run. “This was the hardest I could push,” Shiffrin said. “I could feel these turns that I wanted to feel.”
As the circuit moves toward the final pre-Olympic events in Flachau and Czechia, the “Shiffrin vs. Rast” rivalry has officially become the headline act for the upcoming Winter Games. While Shiffrin remains the favorite to add to her two Olympic gold medals, Camille Rast has proven that the “G.O.A.T.” is no longer untouchable.
With the Olympic flame set to ignite in Milan in exactly one month, the women’s slalom field is no longer a one-woman show. It is a battle of champions.