As the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup 2023/24 comes to its final stages, several new faces are emerging on the podiums. With Mikaela Shiffrin on the sidelines due to illness, the other star alpine skiers are seizing the opportunity to unleash themselves on the skiing slopes. The latest showdown took place in Austria on Friday, January 12.

Shiffrin, who recently won her 93rd World race, is missing on a few podiums, but her competitors are not. She didn’t participate in the Altenmarkt-Zauchensee Super G in Austria as some new and familiar faces conquered the top 3 places. Though Mikaela Shiffrin was there in spirit and living vicariously through her counterparts, these women shattered the glass ceiling of the alpine skiing world.

Spunky women Super G stars of Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup bring laurels

In the latest update on Instagram, Audi FIS Alpine Ski announced the top three skiers from Altenmarkt-Zauchensee Women’s Super G. Austrian skier Conny Huetter ranked first as she secured her fifth World Cup victory followed by Kajsa Vickhoff with her 5th World Cup podium finish at 2nd place. Huetter was the fastest of all, clocking 1:13.17 while Lie missed by a narrow gap of 0.09 seconds.

The Swiss specialist Lara Gut-Behrami finished third marking her 80th Alpine Skiing World Cup podium finish. Behrami had a great start but couldn’t match the Austrian skier’s speed in the closing stages, eventually clocking 1:13.38. The Italian skier Federica Brignone, who follows Mikaela Shiffrin on the overall standings, suffered a similar fate and finished 4th followed by fellow Italian Marta Bassino in 5th. With Shiffrin yet to recover from the cold, her place at the top of the standings is looking a little dicey.

Mikaela Shiffrin’s place in danger in overall World Cup Standings

Throughout the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup 2023/24, Mikaela Shiffrin has absolutely bossed the competition. The Olympic Champion has racked up 5 victories this season and has led the overall women’s World Cup standings right from the start. Before today’s Super G race, Shiffrin had a healthy lead of 232 points as she stood still on 929 points. But as she misses, and Federica Brignone piles more points, her lead is slowly dimming.

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With her 4th place finish at Altenmarkt-Zauchensee Women’s Super G, Brignone has now closed down the gap to 182 points. With a downhill race scheduled tomorrow at the same venue, the Italian will hope to further lessen the gap. On the other hand, Shiffrin will be itching to get back on track, and not only maintain her ranking but also continue her 100 World Cup win pursuit.

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