Mikaela Shiffrin: the winningest Alpine skier in history returns to Killington, fans await with bells

Mikaela Shiffrin, a New Hampshire native and Burke Mountain Academy graduate, made her World Cup debut on March 11, 2011. That April, just a few weeks after her 16th birthday, she won the Slalom title at the U.S. National Championships at Winter Park, becoming the youngest U.S. ski racer to claim a national Alpine crown.

In the 13 years since then, Shiffrin has become the World Cup’s greatest Alpine racer. She ended last season with 88 total World Cup wins (53 of which were in Slalom) and has made it onto the podium 138 times. 

She’s won 15 World Cup Season titles (5 overall, 7 Slalom, 1 Super-G, 2 Giant Slalom); seven World Championship titles (4 Slalom, 1 Super G, 1 in Giant Slalom, and 1 Alpine Combined); and 3 Olympic medals (Gold in Slalom 2014, Gold in Giant Slalom 2018 and Silver in Alpine Combined 2018).

After last season she gained the top spot for World Cup wins —more than any alpine skier in history (men or women). Simply: Shiffrin is considered one of the greatest alpine skiers of all time.

She currently holds the records for:

The youngest Slalom champion in Olympic Alpine skiing history, at 18 years old.

Tied for the most Olympic gold medals ever won by an American in Alpine skiing.

The most decorated American Alpine skier in the history of the World Championships. She now has 14; seven of them are gold — a new record.  

The only Alpine skier with wins in all six FIS Alpine Ski World Cup disciplines — Slalom, Parallel Slalom, Giant Slalom, Super-G, Downhill, and Alpine Combined.

The youngest skier to win 50
World Cup races, at age 23.

The most all-time World Cup victories. (Last season she beat  Lindsey Vonn’s record of 82 and Ingemar Stenmark’s record of 86).

The only athlete to have won 17 races in the same calendar year, 2019 season.

In the past seven years, Shiffrin has won the Overall World Cup five times. Last season, Shiffrin won the overall World Cup, as well as the Slalom and Giant Slalom discipline titles. 

Shiffrin was also the recipient of the 2023 Best Female Athlete ESPY Award for her Excellence in Sports Performance.

At the Killington Cup, Shiffrin has won five of the past six Slalom races. Last year, she finished 5th despite having the fastest first run. The top spot went to Anna Swenn Larsson and Wendy Holdener who tied for first! Shiffrin finished 0.59 seconds behind the winning time. 

Shiffrin has yet to top the podium in Giant Slalom at the Killington Cup, but placed second in 2017 and third in 2019. 

The first two races of the 2023-24 season

So far this season, there have been two races: The first (a Giant Slalom) in Soelden, Austria, Oct. 28, Shiffrin finished 6th —1.40 seconds behind Swiss winner Lara Gut-Behrami. The second (a Slalom) in Levi, Finland, Nov. 12, Shiffrin won —her 89 World Cup and seventh raindeer (the unique prize in Levi). 

Next up is this weekend in Killington, where the athletes will race Giant Slalom on Saturday and Slalom on Sunday. Can Shiffrin regain her Slalom title and notch her 90th win?