On Friday, March 10th, 2023, Mikaela Shiffrin won her 86th World Cup Race in the Giant Slalom. This 86th win has tied her for the record for most World Cup races won. She is now tied with Ingemar Stenmark, who set the current record over thirty years ago. Shiffrin, who is 27, won this race by over half of a second, which is a decent lead in the world of skiing. Shiffrin was in clear shock at her victory, overcome by joy immediately. Not only was this Shiffrin’s 86th win overall, but it was also her fourth back-to-back win in the giant slalom world cup. Shiffrin won her first World Cup race back in 2012 and has worked her way up to 86 wins in the World Cup.
Not only does she have world records and Olympic titles, but she also secured her 15th crystal globe trophy by clenching the giant slalom races in the world cup. Shiffrin has won 86 out of 244 races in her career, putting her at a 35% victory rate over her competitors, and she has placed in the top three in over 50% of her races. In 2016, when Shiffrin was only 23 years old, she became the first skier ever to win in all six FIS World Cup disciplines. Winning and holding records is something Shiffrin has had to get comfortable with throughout her career, as she is constantly breaking records and taking titles.
In just her first year of skiing in the World Championships, she had seventeen races and landed on the podium fourteen times. Over ten years later, she is still ending on the podium for the majority of her races. None of this is a surprise as she has been a champion from the start, becoming the youngest slalom champion back in 2013. Many would call Shiffrin the most successful skier in history, and she is one to watch in the future.
