Best of the 2025 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships

Saalbach, Austria The 2025 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships concluded this weekend, after an impressive showing of talent and competition. For over two weeks, men and women from over 70 countries gathered at the Championships, giving action, upsets, and more across the event. Switzerland emerged as a dominant force, clinching multiple titles, and American athletes held their own with noteworthy performances. 

Switzerland's Loic Meillard secured the men's slalom gold, making it the first time in 75 years that the nation secured first in slalom. The win was one of Switzerland's bullish showing; the men’s team achieved gold in Downhill (Marco Odermatt took gold), and in Team Combined swept the podium in gold, silver, and bronze. This year marks the first time the Championships have included the Team Combined event, and the event is expected at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina. 

On the women’s side of the Championship, American Breezy Johnson took home gold in downhill, becoming the first American to do so since 2009. Her win came after a 14-month suspension, and showed the strength of the U.S. Women’s team. Paula Moltzan finished fourth in slalom.

Mikaela Shiffrin, a dominant force for years on the team, aimed for a 16th World Championship medal this year but finished fifth in the women's slalom. Shiffrin was in third after the first run but couldn't secure a podium spot, marking this her first non-medal finish in slalom at the championships in seven years. The Swiss duo of Camille Rast and Wendy Holdener took gold and silver, respectively, and Austria's Katharina Liensberger earned bronze. Shiffrin still showed her depth across the field, with a gold in team combined, along with Breezy Johnson, and a bronze in Super-G. 

As in any competition, the Championships came with their share of upsets. French skier and Olympic champion Clement Noel led after the first run in the men's slalom but skied out in the final and missed his chance at gold. In a similar vein, Swedish skier Kristoffer Jakobsen, known for his bold, high-risk ski style, had a gate mishap and earned a DNF (Did Not Finish) in the men's slalom, and visibly expressed his frustrations. These incidents helped Switzerland's Loïc Meillard claim gold, ending a 75-year Swiss drought in the process. Norway's Atle Lie McGrath and Germany's Linus Straßer completed the podium.

In the men's giant slalom, Austria's Raphael Haaser wowed when he surged from fifth after the first run to claim gold. Pre-race favorites, including reigning champion Marco Odermatt of Switzerland and first-run leader Timon Haugan of Norway, failed to medal.

In perhaps one of the most talked about moves of the Championship, Lindsey Vonn, the 40-year-old American ski legend, made her notable return to competition after a six-year retirement. Her first race was the Super-G, where she hooked her right arm on a gate and prematurely exited the course.

Two days later, Vonn finished 15th in downhill. She later acknowledged the challenges of returning to elite competition, noting she was excited to improve and stating she was committed to training to qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. If she were to do so, she would qualify for her fifth Olympics. 

Men's Events

• Slalom

  • Gold: Loïc Meillard (Switzerland)

  • Silver: Atle Lie McGrath (Norway)

  • Bronze: Linus Straßer (Germany)

• Giant Slalom

  • Gold: Raphael Haaser (Austria)

  • Silver: Marco Odermatt (Switzerland)

  • Bronze: Timon Haugan (Norway)

• Downhill

  • Gold: Marco Odermatt (Switzerland)

  • Silver: Matthieu Bailet (France)

  • Bronze: Dominik Paris (Italy)

• Super-G

  • Gold: Vincent Kriechmayr (Austria)

  • Silver: Marco Odermatt (Switzerland)

  • Bronze: Matthias Mayer (Austria)

• Team Combined

  • Gold: Switzerland 1 (Franjo von Allmen and Loïc Meillard)

  • Silver: Switzerland 2 (Alexis Monney and Tanguy Nef)

  • Bronze: Switzerland 4 (Stefan Rogentin and Marc Rochat)

Women's Events

• Slalom

  • Gold: Camille Rast (Switzerland)

  • Silver: Wendy Holdener (Switzerland)

  • Bronze: Katharina Liensberger (Austria)

• Giant Slalom

  • Gold: Marta Bassino (Italy)

  • Silver: Tessa Worley (France)

  • Bronze: Sara Hector (Sweden)

• Downhill

  • Gold: Breezy Johnson (USA)

  • Silver: Corinne Suter (Switzerland)

  • Bronze: Kira Weidle (Germany)

• Super-G

  • Gold: Lara Gut-Behrami (Switzerland)

  • Silver: Federica Brignone (Italy)

  • Bronze: Mikaela Shiffrin (USA)

• Team Combined

  • Gold: USA (Breezy Johnson and Mikaela Shiffrin)

  • Silver: Switzerland

  • Bronze: Austria