Mikaela Shiffrin took the victory. © APA / GEORG HOCHMUTH

Controversy surrounding Shiffrin: Should she have been disqualified?

This slalom will be a topic of conversation for a long time to come: Chaos reigned in Semmering on Sunday – and right in the middle of it: superstar Mikaela Shiffrin.

29 December 2025

From: det

It's quite a curious sight: Five slalom races have taken place so far this season, and the winner has been Mikaela Shiffrin five times. But it has never been as close as it was on Sunday in Semmering. Second place went to Camille Rast, who finished just nine hundredths of a second behind the American. However, that wasn't the reason for the controversy surrounding this race. The real commotion was surrounding Shiffrin.

The controversy arose before the second run. Before Shiffrin inspected the course, the American complained to the organizers that a section at Zauberberg was too dangerous. After lengthy discussions, a course change was implemented at that point. However, this had a significant side effect: all the athletes had already completed their inspection – except for Shiffrin and Latvian Dzenifera Germane. They were allowed to examine the course again, including the modified section.

Shiffrin drove to victory in Semmering. © APA / GEORG HOCHMUTH

This led to the next tense situation: Shiffrin ended her course inspection approximately ten minutes after the allotted time. Normally, this infraction would result in disqualification, prompting a protest from several nations. However, in the end, Shiffrin faced no consequences for the rule violation, partly because, strictly speaking, it wasn't a rule violation at all. FIS Race Director Markus Mayr had extended the inspection period by 15 minutes at short notice. This was a final decision that cannot be overturned.

"It has to be fair for everyone." Beat Tschuor, Swiss women's coach

Although all the athletes in the second run received a video explanation of the changed section, many were left with a bitter aftertaste. When asked if Shiffrin had an advantage, second-place finisher Camille Rast replied, "Probably." She added, "We can also ski two gates intelligently if the course isn't in great condition there."

And Swiss coach Beat Tschuor, who reviewed a protest with the jury, explained that he did not agree with this procedure. "It was important to me to send a message that this is unacceptable. It has to be fair for everyone."