Mikaela Shiffrin confirmed her status as the most promising prodigy in women's alpine skiing when she shelved her school homework for long enough to win the world slalom crown. The sporting precocity of the 17-year-old, however, is not something she says has been born from merely landing at the right place at the right time. It has been long planned by a supportive, hard-nosed family whose interests were rooted in skiing and the advancement of their daughter from nappies and kids' plastic skis into a fully-blown, professional ski racer.

US slalom princess Mikaela Shiffrin put in a fast first run in the women's slalom here Saturday to put her in prime position for a podium in her first ever World Ski Championships. The 17-year-old revelation clocked the third fastest time to finish 0.18sec off Sweden's Frida Hansdotter, who led after the first run with a time of 50.41sec. Finland's Tanja Poutiainen, Shiffrin's elder by 15 years, was second fastest at 0.17sec.

Teenage debutante Mikaela Shiffrin stormed into an impressive sixth place in the world championships giant slalom on Thursday, despite it not being her favoured event. But the 17-year-old US racer, who has shot to the top of slalom World Cup rankings this season with three wins in Are, Zagreb and Flachau, was typically cool about the achievement, admitting that she was not even nervous before the start.