Unstoppable on the Slopes: Mikaela Shiffrin Concludes Record-Breaking Season with Dominant Double Triumph
Mikaela Shiffrin's incredible triumphs in 2023 solidified her status as a skiing legend, surpassing Ingemar Stenmark's renowned record to become the most successful World Cup skier ever A remarkable year that etched her name in history
In 2023, American Mikaela Shiffrin made history by surpassing the legendary Ingemar Stenmark to become the skier with the most World Cup wins of all time. She closed out the year with two impressive wins in Lienz, Austria, bringing her career total to 93 World Cup victories.
After winning the giant slalom, she followed it up with a slalom victory the next day, dominating the competition by a margin of 2.34 seconds, a rare feat in this discipline.
"I had an amazing day today," the 28-year-old shared with the FIS website after her slalom win on Friday. "I felt absolutely fantastic on the skis and I couldn't be happier."
Shiffrin dominated the field with a lead of over a second after an impressive first run. Rather than playing it safe on the second run, the American skier increased her advantage with a flawlessly executed performance.
"The first and second runs were completely different - different timing, different flow," Shiffrin commented. "I had a solid plan and my coaches highlighted the key sections of the course, which gave me the confidence to push forward."
Shiffrin once again highlighted her dominance in the giant slalom victory on Thursday, with a fast first run followed by a confident second run to secure the win. This marks the second year in a row that the American has won both races during the week between Christmas and New Year.
Mikaela Shiffrin added two more World Cup wins to her record haul.
Vladimir Simicek/AFP/Getty Images
"The last couple of years I was really building through the beginning of the season to this point, and somehow it clicks I guess," said Shiffrin.
Shiffrin's best discipline this season has been the slalom, with podium finishes in 12 of her last 13 World Cup events. The only exception was a fourth place at Levi, Finland in November. With 13 World Cup wins in 2023, this year ranks as the joint second-most successful in Shiffrin's career, following only 2019, when she won 15 World Cup races.
Shiffrin's remarkable comeback comes after failing to win any medals in five races at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, with three of them resulting in a DNF. Despite this, she is currently leading the overall World Cup standings for the second consecutive year after finishing on top last season.
