Three months after a bruising crash that resulted in a punctured abdomen and left her traumatized, American Mikaela Shiffrin made history on Sunday — becoming the first athlete in Alpine skiing to win 100 World Cup races.
"Everybody's been so nice and so supportive, all of my teammates and competitors and coaches and the whole World Cup," Shiffrin said at a press conference on Sunday. "I'm so grateful. Thank you. And the fans, thank you."
The accomplishment was especially poignant given that Shiffrin's first attempt at her 100th World Cup title ended in a serious fall last November.
The 29-year-old endured a deep puncture wound in her abdomen, severe muscle trauma, and mental and psychological stress in the aftermath, the Associated Press reported.
Shiffrin spent two months recovering. In her first competition back, she finished in 10th place during a slalom event in Courchevel, France, in January.
But on Sunday, in Sestriere, Italy, Shiffrin made a fierce comeback, dominating down the slopes and finishing 0.61 seconds ahead of Croatia's Zrinka Ljutic.
In doing so, Shiffrin became the first Alpine skier to secure a triple-digit record, further solidifying her place as one of skiing's greatest legends.
"She doesn't just want to win; she blows the competition away," Austrian skier Annemarie Moser-Pröll, who has won 62 World Cup titles, told FIS World Cup.
Moser-Pröll added: "One thing is certain for me; Mikaela is and will remain the best ever."
Shiffrin, a two-time Olympic champion, had already held the title for most World Cup victories when she secured her 87th World Cup race in March 2023. At the time, she surpassed the previous record set by Sweden's Ingemar Stenmark in 1989.
Shiffrin's remarkable feat comes after 278 World Cup starts over 14 years. Her debut race was in March 2011 at just 16 years old. Of her 100 wins, 63 have come from slalom events, while 37 have stemmed from non-slalom disciplines.
At 18, Shiffrin took home gold at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and became the youngest ever winner, male or female, of an Olympic slalom gold medal. She went on to claim gold and silver at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
Copyright 2025 NPR
