MERIBEL, France (AP) β Mikaela Shiffrin clinched her third straight World Cup slalom title in style Saturday with a victory at the season-ending finals.
Shiffrin, the Olympic and two-time world slalom champion, beat her only remaining challenger Frida Hansdotter of Sweden by 0.05 seconds to win her sixth race of the season and fifth in slalom.
The 20-year-old American had a commanding 90-point lead over Hansdotter going into the race, but stayed true to her attacking style rather than skiing safely to get into the points.
She raised the crystal globe aloft with her right as the crowd cheered.
Slovakia’s Veronika Velez Zuzulova placed third and Slovenia’s Tina Maze was fourth, picking up valuable points in her quest for the overall title.
She is vying with defending champion Anna Fenninger, who is not a slalom specialist and finished 23rd.
