On Sunday, Mikaela Shiffrin achieved her 100th Alpine skiing World Cup victory by winning the slalom competition in Sestriere.
The American finished 0.61 seconds ahead of Croatian skier Zrinka Ljutic, setting a new record for the competition’s amount of victories and making her the first skier, male or female, to reach triple digits in World Cup race victories.
Everyone has been supportive and kind—every member of the World Cup team, including my teammates, opponents, and coaches. With tears in her eyes, Shiffrin said, “I am incredibly grateful,” following her historic victory in Italy.
Paula Moltzan, Shiffrin’s countrywoman, finished third with a powerful second run, while world champion Camille Rast crashed out in her first run. Shiffrin said, “I think sharing it with Paula is lovely.” I push, she pushes, and we just keep pushing. And we made it happen.
The speaker went on to say, “A lot of things have to go perfectly for me today and wrong for some individuals.” On the first run, Camille was lightning fast. Consequently, a lot of things have to go my way. But in the end, I also accomplished something right.
The 29-year-old’s attempt to win her 100th World Cup was cut short in November when she crashed during a giant slalom competition in Killington, Vermont. According to her, getting back into the sport after suffering a puncture wound to her abdomen was a “mental, psychological PTSD-esque fight.”
Shiffrin nevertheless managed to win a record-tying 15th world championship during his career.