By Daniel Etchells

Mikaela Shiffrin will look to make skiing history at the World Cup Finals in Méribel, France next week ©Getty ImagesAmerican Mikaela Shiffrin remains firmly on course to make skiing history after securing a third consecutive slalom World Cup victory in Åre, Sweden.

The Sochi 2014 Olympic gold medallist is bidding to become the first woman to win the slalom world title and World Cup title in the same season twice.

After clocking a combined time of 1min 44.56sec, which saw her finish 1.41 seconds ahead of Slovakia's Veronika Velez Zuzulova and 2.15 clear of the Czech Republic's Sarka Strachova, Shiffrin leads the slalom World Cup standings by 90 points as she looks to add to the world title she won last month in Vail and Beaver Creek.

The American claimed the 2013 World Cup title on the back of her World Championship triumph in Schladming, Austria, and with just one race remaining this season at next week's World Cup Finals in Méribel, France, the coveted double is well within her grasp again.

The 20-year-old recorded the fastest second run time in Åre, comfortably earning her 14th career World Cup victory after an impressive bottom section.

Mikaela Shiffrin recorded the fastest second run time in Åre to claim her 14th career World Cup victory ©Getty ImagesMikaela Shiffrin recorded the fastest second run time in Åre to claim her 14th career World Cup victory ©Getty Images


"It felt like my second run was good but sometimes I can hear the announcers when I'm skiing and I thought I was behind," said Shiffrin, who is also on the verge of winning her third successive slalom crystal globe.

"So I told myself go faster, go faster.

"Sometimes my nerves are worse when I have a big lead, because I feel like something has to go wrong.

"There was a little bit of adrenaline in my legs and I think that helped me today."

Sweden's Frida Hansdotter, who finished in sixth place in Åre, is Shiffrin's only remaining challenger in the discipline but she faces an uphill battle to overcome the 90-point deficit.

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