Mikaela Shiffrin officially became the greatest alpine skier of all time on March 11, 2023, when she earned her 87th career victory in a World Cup alpine skiing race.
🚨🏆 THE MOST DECORATED SKIER OF ALL TIME 🏆🚨 @mikaelashiffrin breaks Ingemar Stenmark’s record for the most alpine World Cup wins by any skier in history. Absolutely incredible. 🤯#stifelusalpineteam // @stifel pic.twitter.com/QCd3NtcI5D
— U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team (@usskiteam) March 11, 2023
She overtook Swedish skier Ingemar Stenmark who had 86 victories.
Here are three facts about Mikaela Shiffrin.
1. March Is A Lucky Month For Shiffrin
She was born on March 13, 1995.
Shiffrin made her World Cup debut on March 11, 2011, at the age of 15.
12 years later to the day, Shiffrin broke the record.
It is the greatest honor of my career to be mentioned in the same sentence as Ingemar Stenmark. Incomprehensible and truly unforgettable.🙏🥹 pic.twitter.com/ENz1QTs7ox
— Mikaela Shiffrin (@MikaelaShiffrin) March 10, 2023
2. Skiing Is All In The Family
Shiffrin’s parents and brother are avid skiers.
Her dad Jeff skied at Dartmouth, and her mother Eileen was a high school skier.
Mikaela’s brother Taylor skied for the University of Denver.
It was so ingrained in their family life that Mikaela struggled to return to it after the sudden death of her father after he suffered a fall in February 2020.
3. She Was A Recordbreaker At A Young Age
Shiffrin is the youngest skier to win 50 races; she won her 50th at the age of 23 years and nine months.
Before breaking Stenmark’s record, Shiffrin broke just about every record in her sport.
She is an incredible blend of athleticism, consistency, and longevity.
4. Her Boyfriend Is Also A Skier
Shiffrin is dating 29 year old Norwegian skier Aleksander Kilde.
He is known as the “Arnold Schwarzenegger of skiing” because of his strength in the weight room; he is able to bench press 300 pounds.
5. Shriffin And Lindsey Vonn Are American Alpine Skiing Icons
U.S. alpine skiing has been in great hands for over a generation.
Shiffrin and Lindsey Vonn, 38, competed together for 8 years before Vonn’s retirement in 2019.
Vonn ended her career with 82 World Cup alpine skiing victories.
It is rare to have one American in a generation be so accomplished, let alone two.
Conclusion
Sports and entertainment figures including Simone Biles, Peyton Manning, Derek Jeter, Kate Winslet, and Patrick Dempsey congratulated Shriffin in an amazing video that also featured Stenmark.
Greatness recognizes greatness 🐐
Legends in sports and entertainment congratulate @MikaelaShiffrin on becoming the winningest World Cup alpine skier in history. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/aomRhyw8Kd
— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) March 11, 2023
Shriffin’s career appears far from over as she turns 28 on March 13, just two days after breaking the record.
It is anyone’s guess what her final number of World Cup wins will be now that she owns the record.
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