Mikaela Shiffrin Clinches 99th World Cup Win, Eyes Historic 100th on Home Soil
GURGL, Austria — The queen of the slopes, Mikaela Shiffrin, has done it again! On Saturday, the American skiing sensation secured her record-extending 99th career World Cup victory in a thrilling slalom race. Now, the stage is set for her to chase the elusive 100th win in front of her home crowd in North America. Can you feel the excitement building?
Shiffrin dominated the season’s second slalom event, holding onto her first-run lead to edge out Italian prodigy Lara Colturi, who competes for Albania, by 0.55 seconds. Swiss skier Camille Rast finished just 0.57 seconds behind Shiffrin, with both Colturi and Rast celebrating their first-ever World Cup podium finishes. Talk about a day to remember for these rising stars!
Next Stop: North America
Shiffrin’s journey now takes her to a 16-day North American stretch of the World Cup circuit. The action kicks off next weekend with a giant slalom and slalom in Killington, Vermont, followed by two GS races in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, and a super-G in Beaver Creek, Colorado. The anticipation is palpable as fans wonder: will win No. 100 come on home snow?
When asked about the pressure of reaching this historic milestone, Shiffrin remained characteristically composed. “I guess there is a bit of pressure around it, but I’ll try to ignore that,” she said. “Anyway, if it happens, it’s wonderful. If it doesn’t happen, kind of nothing to cry about in the grand scheme. But I hope to have a really good performance in front of the home crowd.”
Chasing History
To put Shiffrin’s achievements into perspective, no other skier—male or female—has won more than 86 World Cup races. Shiffrin shattered that record in March 2023 when she surpassed Swedish legend Ingemar Stenmark. Now, with 99 wins under her belt, she’s on the brink of yet another historic feat.
But even for a skier of Shiffrin’s caliber, the nerves can creep in. She admitted to feeling “really nervous at the top” before her second run in Gurgl. “I could hear all the women going down and their teams were cheering, and that always means they had a really good run. And it was getting darker,” she explained. At one point, she even doubted herself, thinking, “I don’t think it’s happening today.”
Despite the nerves, Shiffrin delivered a stellar performance. She initially extended her lead to more than seven-tenths of a second and only gave up fractions of that advantage in the final sections. “It feels really satisfying to have a really great run down this slope. What a wonderful day,” she said, beaming with pride.
Breaking Down the Race
In the first run, Shiffrin faced some challenges on the steep Kirchenkar course but managed to gain time with a near-flawless section toward the finish. “It’s a pretty strange surface, like cold and dry. It’s hard to be clean on the skis,” she said. “But in the end, I kept pushing forward, just stayed on top of it and pushed to the finish. I find it to be really challenging on this condition to find the right setup to feel clean and to feel like you can unleash the skis.”
Swiss skier Wendy Holdener, who was second after the opening run, ultimately dropped to fourth place. Meanwhile, Shiffrin’s teammate Paula Moltzan finished sixth, trailing by 1.10 seconds. Notably absent from the race was Olympic champion Petra Vlhova, Shiffrin’s biggest rival in slalom, who is still recovering from knee surgery last season.
New Venue, Same Dominance
Gurgl, a fresh addition to the women’s World Cup circuit, proved to be a worthy challenge. The Austrian Alps resort, located just 15 kilometers from Soelden, hosted its first women’s race after staging a men’s event last season. The men will take on the same hill in a slalom race on Sunday, but for now, all eyes are on Shiffrin and her quest for greatness.
What’s Next?
As Shiffrin heads to North America, here’s what to watch for:
- Killington, Vermont: Giant slalom and slalom races next weekend.
- Mont-Tremblant, Quebec: Two GS races to follow.
- Beaver Creek, Colorado: A super-G event to cap off the North American leg.
Will Shiffrin make history on home soil? One thing’s for sure: the skiing world will be watching every turn, every gate, and every finish line as she chases the magic number 100. Stay tuned, because this is a story you won’t want to miss!
Originally Written by: Associated Press
