Shiffrin Sets New Milestone in World Cup Skiing History.
American skiing sensation and two-time Olympic champion, Mikaela Shiffrin, put up an incredible performance at the World Cup, extending her record of wins to an impressive 90. Her command on the Superstar course was exemplary, as she clocked the fastest time in both runs, besting her Slovakian competitor Petra Vlhova by 0.33 seconds. A local favorite, Shiffrin shared, “It’s amazing to do this, especially here, with the home crowd. It’s just such a good vibe and there’s a little extra intensity because we want this to be good for you guys to watch. I hope it was a good show.”
Despite facing fierce competition from Vlhova, Shiffrin managed to recover time lost in the first split during her second run. She said, “It feels really good. It’s amazing to race in front of this crowd no matter what. Being in a position to win is something different, that’s really spectacular.” Her 90 wins have come from 254 starts in the World Cup since her debut in 2011, two days before her 16th birthday. Her first victory was a slalom in Sweden in December 2012, and she passed Swedish legend Ingemar Stenmark’s record of 86 wins last March.
This win marks Shiffrin’s 55th slalom victory, a feat no other skier has accomplished. Vlhova, who won the first slalom of the season, praised Shiffrin’s strength and tenacity: “I’m satisfied with my second run. But first run, I didn’t go well. I lost in the first run, but the second run was a good show. Mikaela, she was stronger than me.”
Shiffrin reminisced about last year’s race, in which she led after the first run but placed fifth. “This kind of moments, you can call it a disappointment … those are the things that stick with me more than winning actually does … That’s something that really fuels me,” she said. She currently leads in the overall World Cup standings as she vies for a record-equaling sixth overall title this season. The next women’s World Cup races are two giant slaloms in Tremblant, Quebec.