Shiffrin OK with 5th place despite missing a worlds slalom medal for the first time

SAALBACH-HINTERGLEMM, Austria (AP) — All that talk about a record-breaking 16th medal. And extending her perfect run of six medals in six career slalom races at the world championships.

Mikaela Shiffrin’s array of international fans who gathered in the Austrian Alps may have entertained the thought of witnessing those achievements when the American stood third after the opening run Saturday, waving American flags and holding up signs dedicated to the most successful skier of all time.

Shiffrin herself, though, never quite expected much of anything beyond where she ultimately finished, fifth, in only her second full slalom race since she suffered severe trauma to her oblique muscles and a deep puncture wound that left her insides draining out of the side of her abdomen during a crash in a giant slalom in Killington, Vermont, 10 weeks ago.

“Today was just right in line with my expectations,” Shiffrin said. “It’s a strange place to be returning from surgery eight weeks ago, from laying in bed with a drainage tube six weeks ago, to return mid-season in the middle of world championships where everybody is talking about the medals and all the other athletes are fighting and on their top form. And I’m trying to figure out where I even stand in the sport."

While Shiffrin did pair with Breezy Johnson to win a gold in the new team combined event at these worlds, she also withdrew from defending her giant slalom title because of “PTSD-eque” fears related to her fall in Killington.

She said it’s all been “maybe one of the biggest learning experiences of my career.”

The combined gold was Shiffrin’s 15th career medal at worlds, matching the record set by German skier Christl Cranz in the 1930s. Now she’ll have to wait until the next worlds in Crans Montana, Switzerland, in two years to try and stand alone as the most decorated skier in the competition’s history.

Shiffrin had medaled in all six of her previous slalom races at the worlds, starting as a 17-year-old in 2013 when she won the first of four consecutive golds. Then she took bronze in 2021 and silver in 2023.

Now that the slalom streak is over, Shiffrin can look back and admire how special it was — rising Croatian talent Zrinka Ljutic called it “alien” — with the realization that it didn’t end because she’s no longer capable of dominating in slalom; it ended only because she’s been slowed by the two most serious crashes of her career the last two seasons.

“Yeah, I mean, anything can go wrong. And sometimes it feels like everything does go wrong. But looking back at the course of my career, just to this point — and there’s plenty more to come — it’s incredible to think about everything that my team has done … and that we’ve done together to have such consistency,” Shiffrin said.

Besides her crash in Killington, Shiffrin also hit the safety nets at high speed during a downhill last season in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on the course that will host next year’s Milan-Cortina Olympics.

“The last two years have been the biggest proof to the world about how much can go wrong — even when you think you’re doing everything right,” Shiffrin said. “It makes it a little bit scary to move forward because everything feels so unknown. But I guess that’s the mentality we take. And I’m going to try to become comfortable with that unknown feeling.”

Shiffrin still finished only five hundredths of a second off the podium — or from earning a medal. Paula Moltzan, her American teammate, came even closer, finishing fourth two hundredths off the podium in a race won by Swiss skier Camille Rast.

Moltzan won a bronze in giant slalom and also finished fourth with the U.S. squad in the mixed team parallel event and combined with partner Lauren Macuga.

“My worst is fourth, so it’s OK,” Moltzan said. “I’m proud of myself. World champs is a big stage. I competed in the first event and the last event almost. And it’s been a long two weeks, but I’m happy with it.”

The 30-year-old Moltzan is less than a year older than Shiffrin, so has witnessed first-hand almost the entirety of her more accomplished teammate’s career.

“When you’ve been out for two months, it’s hard to have confidence," Moltzan said. "(Rast) has got momentum and Mikaela is just kind of starting back up. I think by the end of the season you’ll maybe see her top speed again.”

With the World Cup circuit — skiing’s regular season — starting back up again next weekend, Shiffrin plans to race in the two giant slaloms and a slalom in Sestriere, Italy. Her next win will be a record-extending No. 100.

“I kind of need to start racing GS in order to keep my start list (number) somewhat reasonable,” Shiffrin said. “But I think I can get to the point that my skiing is good enough that I can race without it being dangerous.”

AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing

United States' Paula Moltzan celebrates at the finish area of a women's slalom, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

United States' Paula Moltzan competes in a women's slalom, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

United States' Paula Moltzan celebrates at the finish area of a women's slalom, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

United States' Mikaela Shiffrin warms up ahead of a women's slalom, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Fans from the Czech Republic wave a flag in support of United States' Mikaela Shiffrin at the finish area of a women's slalom, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)

United States' Mikaela Shiffrin checks her time at the finish area of a women's slalom, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

United States' Mikaela Shiffrin competes in a women's slalom, at the Alpine Ski World Championships, in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

LONDON (AP) — U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has told allies to “keep the pressure” on Russian President Vladimir Putin to back a ceasefire in Ukraine, hailing Ukraine as the “party of peace.”

In his opening remarks Saturday, Starmer said Putin will “sooner or later” have to “come to the table.”

Unlike the first summit on March 2, the meeting of what Starmer has termed the “coalition of the willing” is being conducted virtually. The call is expected to delve into how countries can help Ukraine militarily and financially as well as gauging support for any future possible peacekeeping mission in the event Putin backs a cessation of hostilities.

“My feeling is that sooner or later he's going to have to come to the table and engage in serious discussion, but — this is a big but for us this morning in our meeting — we can’t sit back and simply wait for that to happen," Starmer told leaders while sitting in front of a screen in an office in 10, Downing Street.

“I think that means strengthening Ukraine so they can defend themselves, and strengthening, obviously, in terms of military capability, in terms of funding, in terms of the provision of further support from all of us to Ukraine.”

Around 25 countries are expected to be involved in the call, including European partners such as France and Italy, and Ukraine. Leaders from Australia, Canada and New Zealand, as well as officials from NATO and the European Union’s executive, are also set to take part. The United States is not represented at the meeting.

Saturday’s meeting takes place in the wake of a U.S. proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has backed. Putin has indicated that he supports a truce in principle but has set out a host of details that need to be clarified before agreeing to a ceasefire.

“President Zelensky, who’s with us this morning, has shown once again that Ukraine is the party of peace, because he has agreed to and committed to a 30-day unconditional ceasefire," Starmer said. “Now what we see, and this is centerpiece for our discussions today, is that Putin is the one trying to delay.”

The United States has shifted its approach on the war since the return of President Donald Trump to the White House. The change of approach relative to that taken by Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, became particularly notable after Trump clashed with Zelenskyy on Feb. 28 in the Oval Office.

Trump voiced optimism Friday that Putin, who met with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff earlier in the week, will back a ceasefire.

“I'm getting from the standpoint about a ceasefire and ultimately a deal some pretty good vibes coming out of Russia,” he said.

Starmer has taken the lead, along with French President Emmanuel Macron, in assembling the “coalition of the willing,” in part to persuade Trump to maintain support for Kyiv. One outcome has already been a growing acceptance from European countries in particular that they need to do more to ensure their own security, including by increasing their defense spending.

Images from the Elysee showed Macron and his aides listening to Starmer's opening statement in a room of the French presidential palace.

Ukraine, under severe military pressure on parts of the front line three years after Russia’s full-scale invasion, has already endorsed the truce proposal. Russia’s army has gained battlefield momentum, and analysts say Putin likely will be reluctant to rush into a ceasefire while he feels he has an advantage.

Starmer said that if Putin is “serious about peace,” he has to “stop his barbaric attacks" on Ukraine and agree to a ceasefire.

“The world is watching,” he said.

John Leicester in Paris contributed to this report.

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks with European leaders at the beginning of a video conference at 10 Downing Street in London, England, March 15, 2025. (Leon Neal/Pool Photo via AP)

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks with European leaders at the beginning of a video conference at 10 Downing Street in London, England, March 15, 2025. (Leon Neal/Pool Photo via AP)

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks with European leaders at the beginning of a video conference at 10 Downing Street in London, England, March 15, 2025. (Leon Neal/Pool Photo via AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron, second left, , shakes hands with Colonel-General Ruslan Khomchak, First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, as French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu, right, and Chief of Staff of the French Armed Forces Thierry Burkhard, left, look on during a meeting on the conflict in Ukraine at the Musee de la Marine as part of the Paris Defense and Strategy Forum in Paris, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (Sarah Meyssonnier/Pool via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro during their talks via videoconference at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 14, 2025. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during the briefing in Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

In this photo taken from video distributed by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Friday, March 14, 2025, Russian soldiers ride atop of self-propelled gun at an area in the Kursk region of Russia after it was taken over by Russian troops. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

In this photo taken from video distributed by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Friday, March 14, 2025, a Russian soldier rises a red flag atop of a house at an area in the Kursk region of Russia after it was taken over by Russian troops. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer gestures during a Q&A session after delivering a speech on plans to reform the civil service, during a visit to Reckitt Benckiser Health Care UK Ltd in Kingston upon Hull, England, Thursday, March 13, 2025. (Oli Scarff/Pool Photo via AP)

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer departs 10 Downing Street to attend Prime Minister's Questions at the Houses of Parliament in London, England, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)