Mikaela Shiffrin made history this weekend. On Sunday, February 23, the 29-year-old downhill ski racer became the first person to break into the FIS Downhill World Cup triple-digit club when she bagged her 100th race win in Sestriere, Italy.
For perspective, the next most accomplished, actively competing alpine skier is Lara Gut-Behrami of Switzerland, with 46 wins. The previous record was held by Sweden’s Ingemar Stenmark, who finished his career in 1986 with 86 wins. Shiffrin overcame that record in March 2023. In the following seasons, she continued stacking victories, building toward this centennial milestone.
To make the accomplishment even more impressive, Shiffrin’s latest victory comes just three months after a devastating crash at the Stifel Killington World Cup downhill ski race in Vermont. During that race, Shiffrin caught an edge, lost control, and went careening into the sideline mesh. She suffered a serious injury that was almost season-ending for the world-class racer. GearJunkie interviewed her at her Colorado home shortly afterward.
Now, Shiffrin gets to celebrate. She has set a new high watermark for the sport. No man or woman has won so many races in the 59-year history of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup. The athlete hopes her accomplishment can help attract more people (and diversity) to the sport, and she’s using this opportunity to move the needle.
“I know that not everyone is blessed with the good fortune I have come across; in fact, very few are, and over the years, the lack of accessibility for a diverse group of people in winter sports has funneled us into a very not diverse community,” Shiffrin reflected in a press release. “I see this 100 victory conversation as an opportunity to bring more eyes and, ideally, more passion to the sport.”
That’s why, in the wake of her historic win, Shiffrin has partnered with the Share Winter Foundation to raise $100,000 in support of learn-to-ski and snowboard programs.
Shiffrin Re-Solidifies Status as G.O.A.T.
When Shiffrin crashed in November, people were uncertain whether or not she would ski again in the 2024/25 season. She suffered a 2.7-inch puncture wound in her abdomen that tore into her external and internal oblique muscles. But she wasn’t out of action for long. In January 2025, she returned to the competitive racing circuit.
However, even with her dogged determination, the crash left Shiffrin rattled. She reported in early February that she was suffering from PTSD following the event and that she wouldn’t defend her gold medal in the Giant Slalom at the Alpine Skiing World Championships.
“I’m mentally blocked in being able to get to the next level of pace and speed and putting power into the turns,” Shiffrin told the Associated Press. “I figured once we touched ground in Europe and we got a chance to get some repetitive training days, I would be able to improve step by step, and sort of the passion and the longing for racing was going to outweigh any fear that I had.”
But, she said, “that kind of mental, psychological like PTSD-esque struggle is more than I anticipated.”
Nevertheless, Shiffrin continued racing. When she arrived in Sestriere, Italy, she was still on the precipice of that 100th win. But not for long. She beat Zrinka Ljutic of Croatia, who took second place, by .61 seconds. Shiffrin’s total time was 1:50.33.
“Mikaela Shiffrin is truly one of a kind,” Sophie Goldschmidt, President and CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, said in a press release. “Not only does she reset record after record within her sport, but she does it with a sense of humility and grace. We are so lucky to have watched the greatest of all time make this centennial mark on the sport, further etching her name in history books.”
Raising Money for Share Winter Foundation
Shiffrin has been vocal throughout her career about introducing more people to the sport of ski racing. When we spoke in December, she mentioned her desire to share her passion for skiing with more people who might have never experienced it.
“I’m becoming more and more passionate about trying to share [skiing] with the world as much as possible and make it more accessible to more people because it’s been such a gift in my life,” Shiffrin said in our interview. “I feel like that’s a gift that a lot of people could benefit from physically, mentally, emotionally.”
Now that she’s reached 100 World Cup wins, she’s taking steps to make that happen. As part of her victory celebration, Shiffrin has determined to raise $100,000 with the Share Winter Foundation. The organization supports learn-to-ski and snowboard programs around the country and offers them to kids who have historically had little or no access to snowsports.
“Helping Share Winter bring more kids to the mountain is really meaningful,” Shiffrin said in a press release. “It’s far bigger than me winning 100 races. This will make that 100th victory one of the most meaningful to me.”
Read the full article here
