Mikaela Shiffrin’s amazing World Cup victory at number 100 declares her sports immortality

It has been accomplished by Mikaela Shiffrin (USA/Atomic). The American superstar, who is only 29 years old, won her 100th Audi FIS World Cup.

A achievement that many believed was just impossible. She also did it on Sunday afternoon in Sestriere, Italy, in her usual mind-blowing fashion.

The most consistently successful skier in history somehow persevered through the physical and psychological effects of a horrific crash in November of last year to produce a stunningly confident, aggressive, and accurate pair of Slalom runs to reach her century, just one day after failing to qualify for the second run of a World Cup race for the first time in over 14 years. This is undoubtedly one that will never be surpassed by an athlete who already holds almost every skiing record.

“I’m not sure if it’s conceivable to dream of such a significant milestone. It takes too long, it’s too large,” Shiffrin remarked. In my dreams, I always hoped for positive outcomes and a steady improvement over my current state of being. And I have a big enough dream.

 

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Paula Moltzan (USA/Rossignol) and Zrinka Ljutic (CRO/Atomic), together with the spectators, the remainder of the pitch and millions of people watching on TV worldwide, will never forget February 23, 2025.

Ljutic, who finished second, +0.61 seconds behind Shiffrin, is unquestionably one of the sport’s emerging stars, and second place is a fantastic place to be. It was perfectly appropriate for Moltzan (+0.64 seconds) to be able to join her countrywoman on the podium on such a momentous day.

However, Shiffrin usually wins when she competes, and she frequently wins when she races Slalom.

In addition to being her record-tying 63rd World Cup Slalom victory (Ingemar Stenmark (SWE) is the next most successful skier of either gender with 40 victories), this was her seventh World Cup Slalom victory in her last eight races. She has also won three or more World Cup slaloms in a single season for the eleventh time in her career.

The ‘training run’ is a first for Shiffrin.

The scene was set for Shiffrin’s heroics with a thrilling but laid-back first run on a lengthy, challenging course. However, she only had a tiny 0.09-second edge over Ljutic, who had won three of the previous four World Cup slaloms.

Many racers would have undoubtedly been a bit hesitant to go for the second run given this, the emotional struggles she has recently been dealing with, and the tremendous pressure of making history.

Shiffrin, however, is not a mortal. Shiffrin somehow managed to treat it “like a training run” and delivered a run worthy of her remarkable accomplishment.

 

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Shiffrin gained an edge at each of the first three splits, showcasing a style that has long been the envy of both current and former skiing greats. She then easily won with a combined time of one minute 50.33 seconds.

The finest Slalom skier in history gave a demonstration, and before he collapsed to the ground in shock, he had to glance at the clock once, twice, and three times.

I couldn’t tell if it said first or fourth. Between sobs, Shiffrin chuckled, “I still can’t find the damn scoreboard a hundred times later.”

Sharing it with my colleague Paula is quite amazing. I could hear the applause from the moment she left, and I thought, “Okay, it’s like a day of training, we just keep pushing, and she pushes and I push,” so I made it happen. Mikaela Shiffrin on her journey to 100 victories

Shiffrin’s accomplishment is all the more impressive given that she publicly continued to battle “PTSD” and “mental trauma” while recovering for 60 days from serious oblique muscle injuries and a deep puncture wound following the Killington crash.

“Finding the right momentum and flow, healing from the injury, and returning to compete against these women who are skiing so fast and strong has been difficult,” Shiffrin said. “I have questioned several times in the past few weeks if returning is the correct decision.

But ultimately, I must be in the start gate and feel both positive and negative emotions in order to continue going ahead and complete this rehabilitation, and that is crucial. It was a very remarkable day amidst some quite difficult months.

“A lot of things had to go right for me today, but for some others, they went wrong. On the first run, Camille Rast, the newly crowned world champion in Swiss slalom, was incredibly quick (before collapsing within meters of the finish line). For this to occur, a lot of things had to go my way, but ultimately, I also did something right.

 

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She most definitely did. It’s the second time in Sestriere and the hundredth time overall.

“I want to thank all of my teammates, rivals, and coaches for their kindness and support throughout the World Cup. Shiffrin, who previously took first place in the 2016 Italian resort, continued, “I am so grateful.”

“Thank you very much, both to you and the fans.

A numerical representation of Shiffrin’s 100

Although they don’t fully capture Shiffrin’s jaw-dropping accomplishment, numbers do provide some perspective.

At the age of 17, she competed in her maiden World Cup on December 12, 2012, in the Slalom in Are, Sweden. She has won one Alpine combined event, two Parallel Slaloms, three city events, four Downhills, five Super Gs, 22 Giant Slaloms, and sixty-three Slaloms in the 4,456 days that have followed.

In 2019, she crossed off winning all six World Cup disciplines, making her the only Alpine skier to do it.

With 63 Slalom victories, she is currently by far the most accomplished Slalom skier of any gender. Her closest rivals are Ingemar Stenmark (40 wins) and Marlies Schild (35 wins).

As the greatest female World Cup Giant Slalom skier of all time, she is also two steps ahead of the legendary Vreni Schneider (SUI).

As if that weren’t enough, she shares the all-time record with Stenmark after her victory, which makes it the 155th time she has placed on a World Cup podium.

“I’m so glad I could be here today.”

It should come as no surprise that Ljutic, who finished in second place, was ecstatic since she will always be able to tell people that she was only a fraction of a second behind Shiffrin when she created history.

Being able to be here today makes me very pleased. She truly earned it because she was battling so hard. The 21-year-old Croatian remarked of Shiffrin, “It was special that I could witness her finally taking this 100th win today.”

Ljutic leaps ahead of Rast to seize control of the season-long battle for the Slalom Crystal Globe with three victories and a second-place finish.

Moltzan’s third-place finish completes an incredible few weeks for Shiffrin’s long-time partner. She earned her first individual World Championship medal last week after placing third in the GS in Saalbach, after her first-ever World Cup GS podium in January. Now, with a huge smile on her face, the 30-year-old takes a brief rest after placing third in her career World Cup Slalom.

I’m heading to London as we have four days off. I need a change of scenery because I’ve been in the mountains since December 18th,” Moltzan remarked. “A brief getaway.”

 

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The final word can only belong to the greatest of all time, who undoubtedly deserves a break.

“We definitely didn’t take the easy route,” Shiffrin said. “However, I’m really grateful for today.”

Mikaela Shiffrin responds to former USWNT captain Alex Morgan’s new images showcasing her baby bump

Mikaela Shiffrin recently responded on social media to Alex Morgan’s baby delivery celebration. Morgan showed off her baby bulge in the post, which also included a photo from a meal.

Alex Morgan revealed in January 2025 that she is expecting a baby boy. She and her husband, Servando Carrasco, already have a four-year-old daughter, Charlie.

On March 1, 2025, the retired football star uploaded images from the pre-baby birth celebration on X. She used emojis in the post to announce the baby’s impending arrival.

👀🍼🔜 pic.twitter.com/L7Dlw6B3oL

— Alex Morgan (@alexmorgan13) February 28, 2025

Mikaela Shiffrin used an emoji to communicate her emotions.

❤️

— Mikaela Shiffrin ⛷️ (@MikaelaShiffrin) February 28, 2025

Elaine Thompson-Herah shines in a magnificent black and wine-colored costume as she steps out during the indoor track season.

Alica Schmidt provides a glimpse of her family’s new pet and confesses her long-held wish.

Mikaela Shiffrin has three Olympic medals: two golds and one silver. At the 2022 Beijing Olympics, she raced in Giant Slalom, Slalom, and Super Combined, finishing fourth in Team Mixed, ninth in Super G, and eighteenth in Downhill. In addition, she has competed in six global championships since 2013, collecting 14 medals: seven gold, four silver, and three bronze. In 2023, Shiffrin won gold in Giant Slalom and silver in Slalom and Super G events.

Mikaela Shiffrin responds to the USWNT captain Alex Morgan’s retirement announcement.

Alex Morgan at the 2025 Audi FIS Ski World Cup Sestriere – Source: Getty

Alex Morgan, a retired soccer player, won two Olympic medals: gold in London in 2012 and bronze in Tokyo in 2020. She also competed in 2016 Rio, where they finished fifth.

Morgan formally announced her retirement in a video posted to Instagram in September 2024. In the video, she reminisced on her lifetime love of football, stating that it has been a part of her for 30 years and was one of her first genuine passions. She also expressed thanks for what football has provided her.

Regarding her retirement announcement, the former USWNT captain stated:

“I’ll get to the point swiftly. I am retiring. And I have so much certainty about my decision that I am overjoyed to finally tell you. It’s been a long time coming, and the decision was not simple. But, at the beginning of 2024, I knew in my heart and soul that this would be my final season playing football.” (0:04 onwards).

Mikaela Shiffrin acknowledged her sentiments on Morgan’s retirement, recognising the impact she had made. She wrote:

 

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“What a legacy you are leaving…” You’re an inspiration to many, including myself!! ❤️.”

Screenshot of Mikaela Shiffrin’s comment/ Source: Instagram/ @alexmorgan13

In addition, Alex Morgan has four World Championship appearances in 2011, 2015, 2019, and 2023, with her most recent finish of ninth in 2023. Morgan won three medals: gold in 2015, 2019 and silver in 2011.