During her record-breaking 99th World Cup victory, Mikaela Shiffrin has taken another step toward achieving 100 career victories.
The American ski standout established her authority on Saturday by winning the slalom race in Gurgl, Austria. Her quest for the milestone victory will continue on home snow in North America.
Shiffrin will compete next weekend at Killington, Vermont, near Burke Mountain Academy, where she established her abilities.
The giant and slalom in Killington give Shiffrin two chances to obtain her 100th victory in what she called a “home race.”
Shiffrin expressed excitement but acknowledged the challenges ahead, stating, “From the outside, it looks easy, but it takes so much energy to deliver top skiing.”
The North American World Cup schedule following Killington includes two giant slaloms in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, and a super-G in Beaver Creek, Colorado.
Shiffrin is determined to maintain focus, saying, “If it happens, it’s wonderful. If it doesn’t, nothing to cry about. I want to perform impressively in front of my home crowd.”
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No other male or female ski in history has won more than 86 World Cups. In March 2023, Sweden’s Ingemar Stenmark set the previous record, which Shiffrin recently broke.
In addition, she has won the last six slalom competitions, indicating her exceptional ability and consistency.
Saturday’s victory in Gurgl was not without its challenges. Shiffrin faced tricky snow conditions, which made it difficult to stay clean on her skis.
Despite her nerves before the second run, Shiffrin delivered a strong performance, beating Italian skier Lara Colturi by 0.55 seconds and Swiss competitor Camille Rast by 0.57 seconds.
Both Colturi and Rast celebrated their first career podium finishes alongside Shiffrin. Shiffrin focused on her young girl podium experience in 2011 and discussed sharing it with future skiers.
“It was such a special feeling,” she remarked, recalling the infinite possibilities at the beginning of her career.
Shiffrin is focused on making history in North America in the next event. Fans worldwide are still thrilled with her race for the World Cup, prevailing at No. 100, whether in Beaver Creek, Killington, or Mont-Tremblant.
Source: US News
