Shiffrin stuns in Killington slalom

American superstar Mikaela Shiffrin laid down two untouchable runs at Killington Resort to claim her 26th World Cup slalom victory in front of a home crowd. She was chased by Levi World Cup winner Petra Vlhova of Slovakia, who ultimately finished 1.64 seconds off Shiffrin's blazing pace. Austria's Bernadette Schild rounded out the podium in third. 

Cheered on by her grandmother – known affectionately as "Nana" – Shiffrin wowed the Vermont crowd just as she did at the same event last year. Vlhova did her best to defend the red leader bib in slalom, but Shiffrin was able to match her early season results. The two are now joint leaders of the ladies' slalom standings. Schild, meanwhile, picked up her second podium in a year at a U.S. resort, adding to her third-place finish at Squaw Valley from March. 

A firm surface caused trouble for some skiers while aiding others. Those with higher starting bibs had a great opportunity to move up in ranking, but those who tried to charge too hard on the grippy ice paid the price. Denise Feierabend of Switzerland scored a career-best slalom finish from start number 21. Anna Swenn-Larsson of Sweden made a big move from bib 24 to finish sixth, and Austrian Katharina Gallhuber leaped from bib 38 to finish seventh.

The ladies' tour now moves on to Lake Louise, Canada, for two downhill races and a super-G next week.