It was only a matter of time – now the time has come: Mikaela Shiffrin has broken Ingemar Stenmark’s record. Of course, the setting was ready for Hollywood.
Of course it had to be Åre. At the place where Shiffrin had her first World Cup victory a good ten years ago at the age of 17, she is now celebrating her 86th triumph. So far only one person has clinched so many victories: Swede Ingemar Stenmark. Now Shiffrin is catching up with him in his home country. In Åre, the circle closes in two respects. It fits perfectly with the incomparable career of the 27-year-old American, who could undoubtedly also have come from a Hollywood screenplay.
She won the 86th World Cup in her inimitable way. While the other racers had big problems with the course, she practically flew through the gates and outclassed her competitors in the first run. She started her final run with a lead of more than a second – and she didn’t let the record be taken away from her. “It’s a spectacular day”, said Shiffrin after the race.
Stenmark: “She is much better than I was”
Shiffrin has dominated the alpine skiing circus for years. Year after year she goes from victory to victory and collects crystal ball after crystal ball, medal after medal. And not only in their special disciplines. Shiffrin wins everything: from slalom to downhill. There has probably never been a skier as complete as she is.
“She’s a lot better than I was”said Stenmark himself recently. “She has everything. She has good physical strength, she has good technique, she has a strong head. I think it’s the combination of all that that makes her so good. And I’m also impressed that she’s doing well in both slalom and slalom as well as Super-G and downhill so well. I could never have been so strong in all these disciplines.”
From the Olympic drama to the history books
And although – or precisely because – Shiffrin is so strong, so dominant, their careers have had a lot of low points, tears, heartbreaking defeats. Just like at the past Olympic Games, when the entire world public expected something extraterrestrial from her and then watched her fail. Desperately she wept for her elimination in slalom, giant slalom and in the combination. No medal. The greatest racer of all time showed her fallible side.
But Shiffrin came back stronger, won another World Cup race only shortly after the Olympics, dominates the field of female drivers at will in the current season, first breaks the record of compatriot Vonn (82 World Cup victories) and now Stenmark’s all-time record. just Hollywood.
Shiffrin – no desire for the eternal discussions
There is probably no one who doubts that the American will soon hold the record alone. She’ll be happy when the time comes. After setting Vonn’s women’s record earlier this year, Shiffrin stressed that she was burdened by the constant talk about the records: “I was so tired mentally”, she said at the time.
What records can Shiffrin break next?
But for someone like Shiffrin, there are still plenty of records to break. With the victory of the overall World Cup this season, she has five big crystal globes – the Austrian Annemarie Proell won six, compatriot Marcel Hirscher eight. Stenmark was able to win the small crystal ball in the slalom just as often – Shiffrin is at seven after the current season.
It gets a bit trickier in the giant slalom: With today’s victory, the American was able to win the small crystal globe twice. Here Vreni Schneider (5) and above all Stenmark (7) still have a huge lead. But if there’s one person you can trust to catch up with them, it’s Shiffrin.