Olympian Mikaela Shiffrin wins second straight World Cup overall title

Just weeks after the 2018 Winter Olympics, Mikaela Shiffrin secured her second straight overall World Cup title at a giant slalom race on Friday in Ofterschwang, Germany.

Shiffrin finished in third place, moving up a spot after her opening run, and she was only 0.74 seconds behind winner Ragnhild Mowinckel of Norway. 

The Olympic champion, who won gold in Pyeongchang in the giant slalom, had to hold off rival Wendy Holdener to secure the title. Holdener failed to win or finish in second place, which was the only mathematical chance Shiffrin could be knocked out of contention. Holdener finished 14th.

"That's really exciting, for sure. It's hard to explain that feeling really," said Shiffrin, per The Olympian. "To have the overall locked in now before going to Are (Sweden) is pretty cool."

Shiffrin, 22, now has a 603-point lead heading into next week's World Cup finals with five races left before the end of the season and she also has a good chance at clinching the overall World Cup slalom title Saturday if she finishes 10th or better in Ofterschwang.

The two-time Olympian is now the second American female skier to win multiple overall titles behind Lindsey Vonn, who has reached that mark four times.