US ski star Shiffrin wins 2nd straight World Cup slalom of Olympic season

GURGL, Austria (AP) — American ski star Mikaela Shiffrin is heading into her home races in Colorado next weekend as the overall World Cup leader on a two-event winning streak.

Shiffrin dominated another slalom Sunday as she made it two convincing wins from two races in the discipline to start the Olympic season.

Racing in sunny but cold conditions in the Austrian Alps, Shiffrin posted the fastest time in both runs to finish 1.23 seconds ahead of second-placed Lara Colturi, an Italian prodigy competing for Albania.

The pair also went 1-2 in the first slalom of the season a week ago in Finland, where Shiffrin also led both runs and won by 1.66.

“I think it’s some of the best slalom skiing I ever did,” said Shiffrin, who got her 66th World Cup win in slalom and 103rd overall, both are records.

Slalom world champion Camille Rast trailed by 1.41 in third, as the podium resembled the one from last year’s race in Gurgl. Her Swiss teammate Wendy Holdener dropped to fourth.

Shiffrin's next races are a giant slalom on Saturday and a slalom the following day in Copper Mountain, the regular training base of the U.S. ski team.

The women’s races follow two men’s events in Copper Mountain on Thursday and Friday.

“I am really excited to go to Copper. I mean, I stay in my own bed for the first time during the season since we used to go to Aspen,” Shiffrin said.

On Sunday, Shiffrin led Colturi by 0.31 after a tight opening run, but used an all-attacking final leg to make the gap four times as big.

“I had to push so hard, but it was really nice with the sun on the second run,” Shiffrin said. “It was pretty much how I expected it, not easy, but I knew the others were pushing, so I had no choice. You have to go.”

Shiffrin and Colturi now rank 1-2 in both the slalom and overall standings after three events. Shiffrin’s teammate Paula Moltzan stood third after she finished Sunday’s race in fifth place.

Moltzan was second and Shiffrin fourth in the season-opening giant slalom in October, which was won by Austrian skier Julia Scheib.

Shiffrin also won the season’s first two slaloms in Levi and Gurgl last year, but then had a frightening crash in a GS when chasing career win 100 in Killington, Vermont in November.

She returned two months later and won two more slaloms, but announced before the current season she planned to reduce her schedule to slalom and GS, and maybe super-G, heading into the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in February.

“I was so focused on giant slalom over the prep period, trying to get my level back to something worthy in GS races. So, I didn't get a lot of slalom training, but I got good slalom training," said Shiffrin, who won Olympic gold in slalom in 2014 and in GS four years later.

With 2022 Olympic champion Petra Vlhova still recovering from the lingering knee injury she sustained in January 2024, Colturi has developed into Shiffrin’s main rival in slalom.

“It’s just amazing to come back here to the podium,” Colturi said. ”I was feeling not that good during my runs because this kind of conditions for me are not the best things.”

Born in Italy, Colturi was 16 when she made her World Cup debut for Albania three years ago. She won the junior world title in super-G in January 2023, but had her rise halted after tearing the ACL in her right knee in a training crash the following month.

Colturi got her first career podium in Gurgl last year and went on to earn three more top-three results to finish eighth in the overall standings, before adding two second places this month.

“She is just amazing,” Colturi said about Shiffrin. “Our goals, from me and all the others, is just to ski like her, to be perfect like her. But it's really difficult.”

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

United States' Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates winning an alpine ski, women's World Cup slalom, in Gurgl, Austria, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Pier Marco Tacca)

United States' Mikaela Shiffrin crosses the finish line to win an alpine ski, women's World Cup slalom, in Gurgl, Austria, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Pier Marco Tacca)

United States' Mikaela Shiffrin, center, winner of an alpine ski, women's World Cup slalom, celebrates with second-placed Albania's Lara Colturi, left, and third-placed Switzerland's Camille Rast, in Gurgl, Austria, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Pier Marco Tacca)

United States' Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates winning an alpine ski, women's World Cup slalom, in Gurgl, Austria, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Pier Marco Tacca)

Switzerland's Wendy Holdener competes in an alpine ski, women's World Cup slalom, in Gurgl, Austria, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Maria Pizzato)

Albania's Lara Colturi competes in an alpine ski, women's World Cup slalom, in Gurgl, Austria, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Pier Marco Tacca)

United States' Mikaela Shiffrin competes in an alpine ski, women's World Cup slalom, in Gurgl, Austria, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Maria Pizzato)

United States' Mikaela Shiffrin competes in an alpine ski, women's World Cup slalom, in Gurgl, Austria, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Pier Marco Tacca)

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn't scoring the way he usually does, but the Oklahoma City Thunder are still winning the way they normally do.

Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning NBA MVP, averaged 31.1 points during the regular season. In the Western Conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers, he is averaging 20 points and taking only 14 shots per game.

Oklahoma City has still won the first two games by an average of 18 points. Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren each scored 22 points, and the defending champion Thunder beat the Lakers 125-107 on Thursday night.

Ajay Mitchell, starting in place of injured Jalen Williams, is averaging 19 points on 50% shooting in the series for Oklahoma City.

“I think the coaching staff does a good job at just getting all of us ready,” said Mitchell, a second-year guard. "And we have a lot of competitors. Like, everyone’s a competitor on our team. So every time the lights are bright, everyone’s ready to go.”

Holmgren is the leading scorer for the Thunder in the best-of-seven series with 23 points per game. The 2026 All-Star also is averaging 10.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks.

Jared McCain, a midseason acquisition from the Philadelphia 76ers, barely played in the first round against Phoenix but has averaged 15 points and made 8 of 10 3-pointers in the series.

“He goes in there, stays in character, stays aggressive," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "He’s going to shoot the next shot. He makes the right plays, plays inside the team. He competes defensively, has had good defensive possessions for us. And he was huge tonight. You need that in a playoff series.”

The Lakers again were without scoring champion Luka Doncic, who is out indefinitely with a strained left hamstring. They also were missing forward Jarred Vanderbilt, the reserve forward who dislocated the pinkie on his right hand during the second quarter of Game 1. The Lakers had three players finish with five fouls, limiting their aggressiveness late in the game.

Los Angeles guard Austin Reaves, who struggled with his shot in Game 1, scored 31 points on 10-for-16 shooting in Game 2. LeBron James, coming off a 27-point effort in Game 1, followed that up with 23.

With the Lakers up 63-61 early in the third quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander got tied up with Reaves and was called for his fourth foul. Upon review, it was upgraded to a flagrant 1 for Gilgeous-Alexander's follow through. Oklahoma City's Alex Caruso was called for a technical foul as the situation was being sorted out.

Gilgeous-Alexander left the game with the Lakers up 65-61, but the Thunder rallied and took control without him. On a fast break, Holmgren found a trailing Jaylin Williams, who hit a 3-pointer and was fouled. His free throw put the Thunder up 85-74.

The Thunder outscored the Lakers 32-15 while Gilgeous-Alexander was out in the third quarter to take a 93-80 lead into the fourth.

“It was amazing," Gilgeous-Alexander said. “They strung together stops, they’re playing the right way offensively and things are going their way. Full confidence in those guys. They know how to win basketball games. And we've proven that. They’ve proven that no matter who’s on the floor, they know how to get the job done. And they just did it again tonight."

The Lakers cut Oklahoma City's lead to five in the fourth quarter before the Thunder pulled away again.

Los Angeles will host Game 3 on Saturday.

“We just stuck with it,” Holmgren said. “It’s the game of basketball. It’s not always going to go your way. It’s about how you respond. And this team has proven many times that we know how to respond. And we did so tonight.”

This story has been corrected to show that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 20, not 19, points per game against the Lakers.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Oklahoma City Thunder's Chet Holmgren (7) shoots over Los Angeles Lakers' Austin Reaves (15) in the second half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell, front, works for a shot as Los Angeles Lakers' Austin Reaves, rear, defends in the second half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James stands on the court in the second half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series against the Oklahoma City Thunder Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives to the basket past Los Angeles Lakers' Deandre Ayton (5) and LeBron James, rear, in the second half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) works to the basket against Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (28) in the second half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)