Less than three months after a violent crash that resulted in a puncture wound to her abdomen, Mikaela Shiffrin has become the first skier in history to claim 100 World Cup wins.
The Colorado skier won the slalom on Sunday at Sestriere, Italy. It was only her second World Cup race back after a dramatic crash at the Stifel Killington Cup in Vermont in December where she suffered a seven-centimeter puncture wound to her oblique muscles.
“Not only does she reset record after record within her sport, but she does it with a sense of humility and grace,” says Sophie Goldschmidt, President and CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard who calls the skier a “one of a kind.”
Shiffrin, 29, claimed her first World Cup win in 2012 at just 16 years old. In March 2023, she became the winningest alpine skier in history with her 87th World Cup victory, which broke the record set by Sweden’s Ingemar Stenmark in 1986.
To celebrate her success, the skier says she has partnered with Share Winter Foundation to raise $100,000 to help increase access to snow sports among youth in historically underserved populations.
“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,” says Shiffrin.
“I see this 100 victory conversation as an opportunity to bring more eyes and, ideally, more passion to the sport. It’s incredible, of course, but I’d like to turn the spotlight to something bigger than me.”
Constance Beverley, CEO of Share Winter Foundation, says Shiffrin’s fundraising goal is what makes her the greatest skier 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.”
