The China Mail - US ski star Shiffrin wins overall World Cup title for sixth time

Shiffrin, who previously won the big crystal globe in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2023, needed to finish in the top 15 in Norway to again guarantee herself the big crystal globe.

That meant the 31-year-old American finished with an insurmountable points tally over her closest rival, Germany's Aicher.

Shiffrin finished the season with 1,386 points, while Aicher was second 87pts adrift.

An astonishing return of 980 points out of a possible 1,000 in the slalom allied to her strong giant slalom efforts –- including a podium in Spindleruv Mlyn –- plus two top 23 finishes in super-G were the bedrock to her winning tally.

"This thing sums up the whole season," said Shiffrin, who heaped praise on Aicher.

"Her skiing has been so cool. The outcome of this day is that she can do this. That's the coolest thing about ski racing, that anything is possible.

"I was in 17th position after the first run, and you don't get points in 17th here. So, I really could appreciate that this day could be different," Shiffrin said.

"It was a lot of effort to push on the second and I was really happy with my second run, much better timing. I felt much more fluid and just like kind of relaxed, even though I was actually quite stressed."

Shiffrin, whose sixth globe matched Austrian Annemarie Moser-Proell (1971-5, 1979), added: "I'm really, really grateful to be in this position.

"It's really a big emotion, but I'm also grateful for the fight."

Canada's Valerie Grenier claimed victory in the giant slalom, timing an aggregate of 2min 16.79sec. It was the Canadian team's first victory of the season in any discipline.

Norway's Mina Fuerst Holtmann was second, with Austrian Julia Scheib rounding out the podium.

Scheib, the crystal globe winner for the discipline, finished the season with 720 points in the giant slalom, 209pts ahead of her closest challenger, Camille Rast of Switzerland.

Shiffrin eventually finished 11th in Wednesday's race, 2.02sec off Grenier's pace, while Aicher was one place behind the American.

The 22-year-old German ended her season not only second in the overall standings, but also second in downhill, third in super-G, sixth in slalom and having recorded her best ever result in the giant slalom -- a fourth-placed finish in Are.

She further demonstrated her all-round ability by claiming a pair of Olympic silver medals -– won in the downhill and the team combined, in which she skied the slalom leg.

"I want to be at the top in all of them and so it was a bit surprising for me as well, but then also it is the goal," Aicher said.

"I'm surprised, but then also not surprised, because I know that somewhere in me I have it."

S.Wilson--ThChM