( CNN ) -- A week can be a long time when you 're one of the planet 's best young skiers . On Wednesday , Mikaela Shiffrin turned 18 . On Saturday she added the World Cup slalom crown to last month 's world championships title , and on Tuesday she 'll be back from Europe to appear on U.S. national television . `` Hopefully I do n't trip when I 'm going on stage . If you knew me for longer than a day you would know that I spill things and I break things and I trip a lot . You would not think I 'd be good at slalom . '' But she 's so good that she denied the world 's best female skier this season yet another accolade at the finale in Lenzerheide , Switzerland . Tina Maze had been poised to add the slalom title to her overall , giant slalom and super-G Crystal Globes , having been denied the downhill when fog canceled racing on Shiffrin 's birthday . The Slovenian was the fastest on the opening run , and led the standings by seven points , but Shiffrin made up a 1.17-second deficit to claim her fourth World Cup race this season and become the fourth youngest woman to win the title . She is only the third non-European to win the slalom globe , following compatriot Tamara McKinney in 1984 and Canadian Betsy Clifford in 1971 . No other non-European woman has won four World Cup races in a season . `` I was freaking out , this time there was really too much emotion , '' said Shiffrin , who last month in Austria was the youngest winner of the slalom title at a world championships since 1974 . `` I think half of this globe belongs to someone else today . I actually would like to thank Tina Maze . She 's been inspiring , she 's helped me get to where I am . '' She 's also had strong support from her parents and coaching staff . `` After the first run I went directly to our athlete tent and just tried to sit quietly and figure out what I needed to do to make it better , '' Shiffrin said . `` It 's hard to do that between runs in a race , but my mom helped , my coaches helped , my dad helped , everybody . They all just said the same thing , 'You have to let it go . You can not hold back . There is nothing to lose . ' So I tried to do that . '' Maze had to settle for third place behind Austria 's Bernadette Schild for her 23rd podium finish this season . `` In the first run I risked a lot and somehow in the second I did n't manage to risk as much , '' the 29-year-old said . `` Mikaela has been dominating slalom the whole season and I do n't think I lost the globe here today , but somewhere else . '' Maze has already wrapped up the giant slalom globe ahead of Sunday 's final race -- and American Ted Ligety confirmed his dominance of the men 's discipline when he crowned his season with a sixth victory out of eight starts on Saturday . `` It 's so ridiculous , it has been such an amazing year , '' said Ligety , who won three golds at the world championships and sealed the giant slalom globe last weekend with victory in Slovenia . `` I never would have expected it and in a way it 's kind of a bummer as I will never be able to do that again . A really cool season and to finish it up with a victory . I could n't be more pleased . '' Overall World Cup champion Marcel Hirscher was second to be giant slalom runnerup , and has already clinched the slalom title ahead of Sunday 's final race . `` I can not sleep . My head is so full , I keep thinking and thinking and trying to digest it all , '' the Austrian said . `` So much has happened this season and I have not had any time to get into terms with it . ''
Teenage U.S. skier Mikaela Shiffrin wins World Cup slalom title . Three days after her 18th birthday , Shiffrin overhauls Tina Maze . She sets the fastest time of the second run to take title from overall champion . Compatriot Ted Ligety caps golden season with sixth victory in giant slalom .