Mikaela Shiffrin, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and top American skier, broke Lindsey Vonn’s record on Tuesday by winning her 83rd World Cup race.
At Kronplatz in Italy, the American won the giant slalom. With a time of 58.72 in the first run and a time of 1:01.89 in the second run, she had already taken the lead in the rankings.
Lara Gut-Behrami, the runner-up and 2021 world giant slalom champion, finished 0.45 seconds behind her. Federica Brignone, the crowd favorite, came in third.
With her 83rd World Cup triumph of her career, Shiffrin surpasses Vonn as the female skier with the most victories. She is currently only three wins behind Sweden’s Ingemar Stenmark, who holds the overall record in both men’s and women’s skiing, which stands at 86 victories.
Shiffrin acknowledged having trouble verbalizing the feelings she was experiencing when asked to explain the record-breaking incident.
“Actually, words are difficult to come by. She told Eurosport, “I don’t think there are words to express all the sentiments. “Because during the day it is stressful, occasionally peaceful, occasionally apprehensive, occasionally excited.
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“And these days are long and exhausting with two runs and everything. But at the conclusion, it seems like there is too much excitement to experience.
Her ninth victory of the 2022–23 campaign surpasses the aggregate total of her victories from the two seasons prior.
Shiffrin (center) enjoys her giant slalom victory at Kronplatz with Federica Brignone (left) and Lara Gut-Behrami (left), who finished in second place (right).
Shiffrin (center) enjoys her giant slalom victory at Kronplatz with Federica Brignone (left) and Lara Gut-Behrami (left), who finished in second place (right).
Lester Trovati / AP
Shiffrin had won the giant slalom at Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, earlier in January, tying Vonn’s record.
The four-time overall World Cup champion has had a great season so far, and in Kronplatz, where she picked up her eighth victory in her past 11 races, she continued the trend.
The 27-year-old skier never once appeared intimidated during the two runs, delivering the speed and accuracy that her supporters have come to expect from her.
I simply tried to take a deep breath and appreciate it. The thing that really excites me is that tomorrow we get two more runs on this hill because it’s in such great shape.
It’s quite amazing to be a part of this competition, she continued. You must take the chances because if you make one mistake, especially a significant one, you could fall off the podium, lose the race, or fall as low as fifth or tenth.
“It’s going to be good sometimes, and bad occasionally. And because that’s when it gets really exciting, I believe it’s critical that we always build on our strengths as skiers and keep pushing.
