Olympic champion Shiffrin takes record 8th slalom win of season but main rival Aicher is 2nd

ÅRE, Sweden (AP) — After crossing the finish line for her record-equaling eighth World Cup slalom win of the season on Sunday, Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin bent over and let out a loud scream.

Probably a combination of celebration and relief, as her main rival in the overall standings was second to keep the pressure on the American star.

Racing in sunny conditions, Shiffrin dominated the last race before the World Cup Finals to beat Emma Aicher of Germany by 0.94 seconds, with Switzerland’s Wendy Holdener a second off the pace in third.

“That was really amazing. I was like pretty nervous, pretty excited, but in the end it was challenging to ski,” Shiffrin said. “I pushed really hard. Quite happy to get to the finish, too.”

Second place marked the career-best result in slalom for Aicher, who in recent weeks has become a threat to Shiffrin’s quest for what would be the American’s record-equaling sixth overall title.

With four events remaining – one race in each discipline – the German all-rounder trails leader Shiffrin by 140 points, with each race win worth 100 points.

“Just the fact that I can stand here and say that I’m in contention is huge for me. I am very proud of that," said the 22-year-old Aicher, who finished 15th in the overall standings last season.

"But Shiffrin is still far ahead of me, so it’s going to be very hard,” the German added.

Shiffrin had lost five points of her advantage when she finished one spot behind Aicher in fifth in Saturday’s GS, before gaining 20 on her rival following Sunday’s win.

The American called her battle with Aicher for the big crystal globe “exciting.”

“There is still some pushing to do. Emma is skiing just incredible, in every event. So, I try to stay in fighting spirit,” said Shiffrin, who could match the women's record of six overall titles set by Austrian standout Annemarie Moser-Pröll in the 1970s.

"It’s the kind of thing that motivates me when we are off the slopes and to keep going with the mood and the attitude. But whenever I’m in the start gate, I just try to have the best skiing I can do."

Focusing on slalom and GS this season, and two starts in super-G, Shiffrin has amassed 1,286 points in total, including 880 from the slalom discipline. She already locked up her record ninth slalom globe in January, weeks before the Olympics.

Aicher has gathered nine podiums this season across slalom, super-G and downhill, with three wins from the speed events.

“You can see she is quite calm and collected," Shiffrin said about Aicher. "To be honest, she really deserves that. She has been the top, top contender across all the disciplines, that is just incredible to see someone doing this, because she is actually the only one."

Shiffrin also won eight slaloms in the 2018-19 season, a feat previously only achieved by Croatian great Janica Kostelic 25 years ago.

Shiffrin raised her career tally to 72 wins in slalom and 109 overall — both are World Cup records.

Åre has been a good setting in Shiffrin’s career.

She won a record seven slaloms in the Swedish resort, including her first career victory in December 2012. She also took the world titles in both slalom and super-G there in 2019.

No other skier ever won more than two World Cup races in Åre.

The World Cup Finals in Norway for both women and men open with the speed events in Kvitfjell next weekend, followed by the GS and slalom in Hafjell on March 24-25.

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

United States' Mikaela Shiffrin speeds down the course to win an alpine ski, women's World Cup slalom, in Are, Sweden, Sunday, March 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

United States' Mikaela Shiffrin, center, winner of an alpine ski, women's World Cup slalom, poses with second placed Germany's Emma Aicher, left, and third placed Switzerland's Wendy Holdener, in Are, Sweden, Sunday, March 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

United States' Mikaela Shiffrin listens to the national anthem on the podium after winning an alpine ski, women's World Cup slalom, in Are, Sweden, Sunday, March 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

United States' Mikaela Shiffrin reacts after winning an alpine ski, women's World Cup slalom, in Are, Sweden, Sunday, March 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

Austria's Katharina Truppe speeds down the course, during an alpine ski, women's World Cup slalom, in Are, Sweden, Sunday, March 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

Germany's Emma Aicher speeds down the course, during an alpine ski, women's World Cup slalom, in Are, Sweden, Sunday, March 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

United States' Mikaela Shiffrin prepares to start, during an alpine ski, women's World Cup slalom, in Are, Sweden, Sunday, March 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

United States' Mikaela Shiffrin speeds down the course, during an alpine ski, women's World Cup slalom, in Are, Sweden, Sunday, March 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in comments released Sunday that he was ready for the next round of trilateral peace talks to end Russia’s more than 4-year-old invasion of Ukraine, but that it was up to Washington and Moscow to agree on where and when to meet.

Zelenskyy said the U.S. had proposed hosting the next meeting between American, Ukrainian and Russian negotiating teams, which include U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, but Moscow had refused to send a delegation.

“We are waiting for a response from the Americans. Either they will change the country where we meet, or the Russians must confirm the U.S,” Zelenskyy said in a media briefing Saturday. “We are not blocking any of these initiatives. We want a trilateral meeting to take place.”

The U.S. has postponed its sponsored talks between the two sides due to the war in the Middle East. The Iran war, which erupted on Feb. 28 following U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and spread across the region, has drawn the international spotlight away from Ukraine’s plight as it strives to hold back Russia’s bigger army.

Speaking to journalists, Zelenskyy also warned of a “very high” risk that the Iran war could drain the air defense stockpiles Ukraine depends on to counter Russian missile strikes.

Zelenskyy said he lacked a clear picture of available stockpiles and had discussed with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Friday whether SAMP/T systems could serve as an alternative to U.S.-made Patriot batteries for intercepting ballistic missiles. He said Ukraine would be “first in line” to test any viable alternative.

He also appeared to push back against U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent assertion that Washington has no need for Ukrainian drone technology.

“No, we don’t need their help on drone defense,” Trump said in a Fox News Radio interview that aired Friday.

Zelenskyy said Washington had reached out to Ukraine “several times” to request assistance for a particular country or for support for Americans, without giving specifics. He said the requests had come from various U.S. military institutions to Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense and other military leaders.

“All our institutions received these requests, and we responded to them,” Zelenskyy said.

He said he had offered Washington a defense cooperation deal last year worth $35 billion–$50 billion that would have given the U.S. administration access to technology from roughly 200 Ukrainian drone, AI and electronic warfare firms, with half of all production earmarked for partners, primarily the U.S.

According to the Ukrainian leader, American military officials had expressed strong interest in the proposal, and Trump himself had indicated he was receptive.

“We received a message from them, and directly from the president as well, that they are interested,” Zelenskyy told reporters. “We did not sign the document with President Trump. I do not have an answer as to why. Perhaps it will happen later, but I am not sure.”

With regard to reopening the Druzhba pipeline, which until late January transported Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia, Zelenskyy said he was against allowing Russian oil to transit through Ukraine while the EU imposes sanctions on its sale elsewhere.

“Why can we, in one case, tell the United States that we oppose lifting sanctions, while on the other hand forcing Ukraine to resume oil transit through Druzhba — and at a political price that effectively pays for anti-European policies?” Zelenskyy said. The U.S. has temporarily eased some sanctions on Russian oil shipments, reflecting global concerns over sharply higher crude prices due to supply shortages stemming from the Iran war.

Zelenskyy said if conditions imposed on Ukraine because of the dispute threatened weapons supplies, Kyiv would have no choice but to resume oil transit, but said he told EU partners this would amount to “blackmail.”

Oil deliveries through the Druzhba have been halted since Jan. 27, leading to an escalating feud between Hungary and Ukraine. The Ukrainian government says that a Russian drone strike damaged the pipeline’s infrastructure, but Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has accused Zelenskyy of deliberately holding up oil supplies.

In response, Orbán vetoed a new round of EU sanctions against Russia, and is blocking a major 90-billion euro ($106 billion) EU loan for Ukraine until flows are resumed.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Firefighters put out the fire at a residential neighborhood damaged by Russian aerial guided bomb in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Kateryna Klochko)

A rescuer helps an elderly woman to leave her home damaged by Russian aerial guided bomb in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Kateryna Klochko)

A private house burns following Russian aerial guided bomb strike in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Kateryna Klochko)

Paramedics give first aid to an injured resident following Russian aerial guided bomb strike in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Kateryna Klochko)

Firefighters put out the fire in a residential neighborhood following a Russian missile and drone attack, in Brovary, close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)