Start of the season in Sölden: Ski dominator Shiffrin: Hunt for new magical brands

Mikaela Shiffrin is the superstar of the ski scene. And still far from finished. She beams as she talks about her experiences last summer.

Among other things, she spent a few weeks with her partner, ski star Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, and his family in Norway. And at a show by singer Taylor Swift. She jumped up and down with her teammates for three and a half hours, says Shiffrin with a laugh. The 28-year-old looks full of energy before the start of the Alpine World Cup winter this weekend in Sölden.

Sixth large crystal ball as a target

After taking the ancient record for most World Cup victories from Swede Ingemar Stenmark last season, the American is now setting her sights on the next record. Catching up with the Austrian Annemarie Moser-Pröll and winning the overall World Cup for the sixth time would be “probably the greatest success” of her career, says Shiffrin before the first giant slalom of the winter on Saturday (10 a.m. and 1 p.m./ZDF and Eurosport) on the Rettenbachferner .

Moser-Pröll, who set her women’s record in the 1970s, is a “forerunner of skiing,” says Shiffrin. This has also been true for her for years. 88 World Cup successes, five overall victories, seven gold medals at World Championships and two at the Olympic Games – the exceptional athlete has long since achieved everything she wanted. And also made a name for herself beyond her sport. The US magazine “Time” listed her among the 100 most influential people of 2023.

Shiffrin is not just a gifted skier. She also keeps an eye on the big issues of this time, such as climate change or mental health in competitive sports. She is skeptical about the early start of the Alpine season and its racing calendar in general. “To what extent should we adapt our environment to a schedule that we want? Or should we adapt our schedules to the environment?” she asked recently.

It will dominate the sporting headlines again this season anyway. None of the experts have any doubt about that. Former top American rider Bode Miller believes Shiffrin can break the 100 World Cup victories mark this winter. “She is very fit, drives very fast and very dynamic,” says her teammate Paula Moltzan. “She’s not unbeatable, but she’s pretty darn good.”

Will Shiffrin dominate again this winter?

Last season, Shiffrin was more than 1,000 points ahead of the Swiss Lara Gut-Behrami, who placed second in the overall World Cup. Given her versatility, the question arises as to who could pose a threat to the American. She has already achieved 53 World Cup victories in slalom, her flagship discipline, and 21 in giant slalom. She has also recently improved in the downhill. She may now increase her speed workload again.

Shiffrin complemented her support team with the Norwegian Karin Harjo, with whom she had previously worked for several years and who was most recently head coach of the Canadians. Among other things, she appreciates Harjo’s “incredible knowledge in the areas of analysis and data processing,” says the top athlete from Colorado – without forgetting to thank her ex-coach Mike Day.

This is also part of their success story. Just like the setbacks that Shiffrin has had to endure in recent years – whether of a personal or sporting nature. The accidental death of her father Jeff in 2020 hit her hard. The 2022 Olympic drama, in which she was the big favorite in China and remained without a medal, also took a toll on Shiffrin. But she always came back. And how. She doesn’t have to prove anything anymore. Nevertheless, she wants to “see how far I can go in this sport,” says Shiffrin. There doesn’t seem to be a limit in sight.