Mikaela Shiffrin equaled Lindsay Vonn’s women’s Ski World Cup record with her 82nd win on Sunday.
Shiffrin led from start to finish to win the giant slalom by a wide margin and can now surpass Vonn’s mark in the night slalom scheduled for Flachau, Austria, on Tuesday.
“I was so nervous in that run. I have a rash on my face because I was so nervous,” said Shifrin, from Kranska Gora, Slovenia. “I don’t know why, maybe a little bit because of the 82. I just really wanted to ski well and I did.”
Shiffrin celebrated with a scream, then bent down and rested his hands on his poles before kissing his skis at the awards ceremony.
“It was a battle. But the conditions were pretty amazing and I got a report from the coaches and they said, ‘It’s really attacked, so go for it,'” she said. “I’ve been in this position before and given it, and today I wanted to fight for it.”
Britt Richardson of Canmore, Alta., collected World Cup points with a 24th-place finish in her eighth World Cup event, while Cassidy Gray of Invermere, B.C., and Sarah Bennett of Stoneham, Que., missed out on advancing to the second heat.
Already with eight wins this season, Shiffrin is quickly closing in on Ingemar Stenmark’s combined men’s and women’s record of 86 wins.
Vonn retired four years ago when injuries ended her pursuit of Stenmark’s record.
WATCH | Shiffrin tied Vonn’s record with 82nd World Cup victory:
Mikaela Shiffrin tied Lindsey Vonn’s record with 82nd World Cup win
The legendary American skier topped the giant slalom podium at the Alpine World Cup in Slovenia.
Shiffrin and Vonn now each have 20 more wins than the next woman on the all-time list, Austria’s Annemarie Moser-Pröhl at 62.
While the oft-injured Vonn required 395 races for her 82 victories, Shiffrin did it in just 233 races. And at 27, Shiffrin could compete for a few more years and win many more races.
Most Women’s World Cup wins
- 82: Lindsay Vonn, USA (2001-19)
- 82: Mikaela Shiffrin, USA (2012-23)
- 62: Annemarie Moser-Prohl, Austria (1969-80)
- 55: Vreni Schneider, Switzerland (1984-95)
- 46: Renate Gotschl, Austria (1993-2009)
- 42: Anja Parson, Sweden (1998-2012)
- 37: Marlies Schild, Austria (2001-14)
- 36: Katja Seisinger, Germany (1989-98)
Shiffrin’s achievement comes almost a year after a disappointing performance at the Beijing Olympics, when she competed in six events without winning a medal.
However, winning this race never seemed in doubt.
On an overcast morning, Shiffrin was the first starter and produced a much more aggressive opening run than either of his two trips to the steep Podkoren course on Saturday when he finished in a tie for sixth.
“I couldn’t have skied any faster,” Shiffrin said after his first run. “I felt much, much better in this first run than yesterday. I had to try to change my feeling from yesterday. It was very good skiing and I’m happy with that.”
WATCH | Shiffrin discusses what her record win means to her:
Mikaela Shifrin reflects on her record-breaking run in Slovenia
Shiffrin talks about what it means to tie Lindsey Vonn at the top of the World Cup career wins list.
Shiffrin was the last skier to start the second run and extended her advantage at each checkpoint to finish a whopping 0.77 seconds ahead of Italy’s Federica Brignone and 0.97 ahead of Switzerland’s Lara Gut-Behrami.
Canada’s Valerie Grenier, who won gold in Saturday’s giant slalom, finished sixth in Sunday’s race.
This marks the 26-year-old’s third consecutive top 10 finish this season and third in a row in Kranska Gora.
“I’m a little upset because I was third in the first run and I wanted to get back on the podium,” Grenier told Alpine Canada. “I really did in the second run. It was bumpy and a little wild, but it had good skis. I feel confident and excited and looking forward to competing in St Anton [Austria next weekend].”
With few American fans at the race near the Italian border, supporters of Slovakian rival Petra Valhova cheered Shiffrin loudly. Several children waved American flags and family members of Paula Moltzan, another American skier, attended wearing American hockey jerseys.
New Zealand skier Alice Robinson suffered a nasty fall on her second run, hitting her face in the snow, but quickly got back up and skied to the bottom.
WATCH | Grenier day 6 after winning 1st World Cup gold:
Canada’s Valerie Grenier reached 6th place in Slovenia
The St. Isidore, Ont., native failed to make the giant slalom podium a day after winning the same event in Kranska Gora.
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