Shiffrin started her second run immediately after Gut-Behrami had taken the lead by a large margin.

"I saw her from the start and then I was thinking, 'Why did I watch? I can't go that fast.' So, then I was a little bit, kind of wild on some spots but it felt so clean," Shiffrin said. "I thought I wouldn't be faster but I thought I could maybe be close. And then, somehow, I got there to the finish and it was quite good."

Shiffrin can quickly add to her record total in another giant slalom at Kronplatz on Wednesday. Then she has two slaloms — her best event,having accounted for 51 of her 83 victories — in Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic, next weekend. That was where Shiffrin made her World Cup debut as a 15-year-old in March 2011.

If she wins all three of her next races, she could match Stenmark by Sunday. Shiffrin will then again be a multi-medal threat at the world championships in Courchevel and Meribel, France, which start on Feb 6.

Agencies Via Xinhua