Mikaela Shiffrin earned her 100th win Sunday, Feb. 23 at a Slalom in Sestriere, Italy, extending her record and solidifying her legacy as one of the greatest athletes of all time. The milestone was originally tee’d up to happen at Killington but just moments before she was able to secure the win in Giant Slalom Nov. 30, she fell and suffered a puncture wound to the abdomen that took her off the snow for weeks as she recovered.
Shiffrin cried in a post-race interview when asked what her 100th win meant after all she had been through. “Everyone had been so nice and so supportive. I am so grateful, thank you,” she said, adding “[It was] just an amazing day in the middle of some really tough months.”
As part of the 100th win celebration, Shiffrin announced a partnership with the Share Winter Foundation aiming to raise $100,000 for learn to ski and snowboard programs for youth who otherwise would not have access to the sports.
Share Winter works with mountain partners and brands to reduce barriers and fees, and community organizations to create opportunities for youth to ski across the U.S. Every dollar raised is used to cover program costs. $100,000 will cover the costs for 200 youth to learn to ski this season.
“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,” said Shiffrin in an Instagram post announcing her ambassadorship. “I love this community, but can’t help but wonder how much more potential there is for it to be stronger if we could help Share Winter with everyone, rather than just those of us who have the means, the access, or the background and bloodlines to support it.”
“I see this 100th victory conversation as an opportunity to bring more eyes and, ideally, more passion to the sport,” she continued. “Helping Share Winter bring more kids to the mountain is really meaningful. It’s far bigger than me winning 100 races. This will make that 100th victory one of the most meaningful to me.”
Shiffrin is passionate in her support of philanthropic endeavors. She has also launched the Jeff Shiffrin Athlete Resiliency Fund, in partnership with U.S. Ski & Snowboard, in honor of her late father Jeff. The fund has raised more than $3.7 million to help cover expenses for fellow teammates, ultimately allowing the athletes to focus on their sporting journey.
When Shiffrin reflected on her legacy, she said she hopes it will involve: “spreading the passion for and access to sports with more people, because it has had such a big impact on my life, my health — both mentally and physically — beyond just competing on the mountain… If I simplify it, ‘legacy’ is about how we impact the people and world around us and the way we choose to exist in the landscape of all the things we love to do,” according to FIS.
Several of Shiffrin’s corporate partners will play an integral role in the MIK100: Reset the Sport initiative, with Ikon Pass leading the way by matching up to $50,000 in donations towards the $100,000 fundraising goal.
Shiffrin kicked off the efforts with a $10,000 donation of her own and challenged her sponsors to match her donation, including Barilla, Stifel, and Visa.
Killington Ski Resort will match Shiffrin’s donation, and Adidas, Atomic, Leki, Longines, Oakley, and Reusch will all offer exclusive MIK100 items for auction via the Share Winter website.
New items will be released throughout the season to celebrate Shiffrin’s 100+ victories, culminating in Sun Valley at the FIS Ski World Cup Finals.
Constance Beverley, CEO of Share Winter Foundation, said: “the willingness to take this moment and transform it into a movement, to share this win in an effort to create opportunity, that’s what makes Mikaela Shiffrin the greatest of all time… It’s not the win that makes her the best, it’s her understanding of what the win could mean, a chance to reset what’s possible for everyone in our sport.”
For more information, visit: sharewinterfoundation.org/mik100.
