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the-csquare t1_j5ojtqq wrote

Insanely dominant this season. Winning almost every SL and GS and then seemingly pulling out great results in speed events. And then her partner Kilde winning almost everything he's in too

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colin_7 t1_j5q0vkf wrote

Good comeback after a disappointing Olympics. A lot of people counted her out after that

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JordanPoohole3 t1_j5q86lh wrote

I mean she was clearly dealing with the extremely sudden loss of her Dad & emotionally rattled. Yet still dealt with it all with amazing class.

Plus SHE’S ONLY 27 👀

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colin_7 t1_j5qcz74 wrote

I always forget how young she is that’s wild. It was definitely a mental thing and probably let the pressure get to her. She was pretty much the face of the USA Olympic team last year, happy that she clearly got through it

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JordanPoohole3 t1_j5qdy9k wrote

👏 yeah the Beijing Olympics were so bizarre and probably a terrible athlete experience with the covid backdrop too. Wish everyone got a re-do 😂 Can’t imagine dealing with a loss like that then being fully locked down in a foreign place to deal with all the stress & pressure alone

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Jirkajua t1_j5r6j0p wrote

I remember my dad telling me 7 years ago that this young american is wrecking everyone else. I thought that's gonna be a one hit wonder but man did she exceed all of my expectations - Mika is just insane honestly.

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MickIAC t1_j5rb8z3 wrote

Her dad died two years before the Olympics. She ducked out of the end of the 2019-2020 due to the grief.

Shiffrin just had comically-turned-tragically bad luck in Beijing. Shame because she's the absolute GOAT.

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JohnSpartans t1_j5qvz2n wrote

And f a Chinese Olympics. Had to be such a weird time.

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throwaway77993344 t1_j5wfhjy wrote

I don't believe her dad was the primary issue. More that she had covid not long before and also just simply bad luck. Shit happens

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JordanPoohole3 t1_j5wl0vl wrote

Oh dang totally missed that she had covid right before 😬 yeah you’re probably right sheesh

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Jokobib t1_j5olyni wrote

Fastest in both the 1st and 2nd run, and casually pulling .3 seconds in the last sector to win by this margin. With seven technical events left, I think she has a decent chance to beat Stenmark's record this season (She needs four more wins).

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patsboston t1_j5ontvs wrote

It’s either going to be this year or at her “home” race in Killington.

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SkiThe802 t1_j5pp48y wrote

That's her MO. She wins so many races on the bottom third of the course.

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mapoftasmania t1_j5q42a5 wrote

Whether she does it this year or not, she is destined to be the GOAT. She is still relatively young and has more seasons of competition in her.

The only thing that could stop her is injury - which is exactly what stopped Lindsey from beating Stenmark.

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WedgeTurn t1_j5qrq2t wrote

> she is destined to be the GOAT

Honestly, she already is. Stenmark was absolutely phenomenal, but he also had less competition that Shiffrin, the sport was less refined and not every talented skier received the amount of support they needed to succeed. Today, there is much more competition and more pressure on the athletes and with that in mind, Mikaela's feat is absolutely insane.

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_baddad t1_j5rqaxd wrote

Saw a “stat” that Stenmark won his final race at 32, Vonn at 33. Mikaela’s only 27. The consistency she’s started to show in speed events (6 top 10s in 6 starts this season, including a win) makes her a bigger threat in those events than ever! Super excited to continue to watch her!

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DannyTannersFlow t1_j5op4c3 wrote

What a story, I remember feeling so bad for her in Beijing.

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JeffFromSchool t1_j5oqfbi wrote

I was so confused because "Beijing" in an olympic context still brings me back to the 2008 summer games. That city has hosted 2 Olympiads in the span of 14 years.

Damn, '08 was a simpler time.

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Notoriouslydishonest t1_j5oyq1s wrote

I totally forgot there was an Olympics last year.

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JeffFromSchool t1_j5p19ca wrote

It was kind of overshadowed since Putin literally delayed his invasion of Ukraine for it, so the news was sort of focused on the 150,000 Russian troops stationed at the Ukrainian border waiting for the green light.

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maharei1 t1_j5pjr6c wrote

>Damn, '08 was a simpler time.

You mean the global financial crisis year?

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illiance t1_j5p5vbx wrote

If Japan win their winter bid, they will have had two olympiads in 10 years (8 because of covid) but if SLC win that one, the US will have 2 in succession (2 years!)

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patsboston t1_j5oqy28 wrote

Yeah, the death of her father really effected her skiing for the previous couple years or so. It’s hard to quantify how important the mental aspect of skiing is.

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Zeeky47 t1_j5ro6cv wrote

Is that why she was off her ass during those events? I actually had no idea and was watching like “what in the world is throwing her off?” Must’ve missed it, assuming there was a bajillion mentions and I just wasn’t paying attention

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patsboston t1_j5ryfp6 wrote

He dad died falling off a ladder a year before. She was still going through that when the Olympics happened.

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Zeeky47 t1_j5s3bkf wrote

I totally missed it and was thinking she was plain off the whole thing. Makes a lot more sense now

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sbb618 t1_j5oyx46 wrote

And she's still only 27!

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HeyUKidsGetOffMyLine t1_j5p45pk wrote

We are witnessing athletic greatness. She will have years to absolutely shatter the records books. As a slalom master she could potentially run podiums for another decade.

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maharei1 t1_j5pju8h wrote

If she wants to. Hirscher also retired way before he dropped off.

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Euler2-178 t1_j5q7pcx wrote

Hirscher’s retirement is one of both the biggest “what-it’s” but also one of the biggest brain plays in sports. Retired only in his 20s after winning 8 overalls in a row, at his peak having dominated the 2019 season.

Part of me wants to have seen what could have been if he had continued. But looking at how he left out on his own terms whilst completely on top, I also entirely understand it from a legacy standpoint.

Nobody will ever associate Hirscher with a slump in form, or that guy who “only” won 67 wins. He’ll always be that guy who could’ve easily gone further.

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elkourinho t1_j5st7as wrote

To this day I have never seen another skier who dominated like Marcel and who passed the eye test like this. Attacking every single turn in every single run.

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madscandi t1_j5xw7tj wrote

>Hirscher’s retirement is one of both the biggest “what-it’s” but also one of the biggest brain plays in sports. Retired only in his 20s

He was 30 when he retired

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Wonnk13 t1_j5p4fjs wrote

It's such a shame some folks will only know her from the Olympics. I remember everyone in the lift line talking about her when she was still at Burke. If she can stay healthy she has plenty more seasons to dominate.

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dvinpayne t1_j5prgg9 wrote

Burke lift lines are a special place. So many great memories and conversations.

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zeez1011 t1_j5psgkk wrote

And most Americans won't care unless she wins a bunch of gold at the Olympics.

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arn_g t1_j5opub3 wrote

Crazy skier. A joy to watch.

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swz t1_j5ovtm9 wrote

She’s a monster!!

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SkiThe802 t1_j5pqivt wrote

Next up is Ingemar Stenmark's record for wins at 86. There are 14 races left this season. Mikaela has proven she can win in any discipline, but GS and Slalom are her strongest and there are 7 of those left this season. My money is on her breaking the record this year.

Coming up soon on the calendar are the Slalom and GS in Are, Sweden. This place holds a very special significance. It is the site of Shiffrin's very first World Cup win, the site of Lindsey Vonn's last ever race, and in the home county of Stenmark himself. There are 8 races before Are, with 3 of them being Slalom and GS. If she wins 2 races before Are she has set herself up to be able to break the record there.

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stanley604 t1_j5qm0yu wrote

Pardon this blatant public reminiscence of an oldbie, but I stood yards from a giant slalom gate near the top of the Whiteface GS course in the 1980 Winter Olympics, and watched Ingemar Stenmark carve the gate with seemingly effortless grace -- you could see he was so much smoother and faster -- even to the naked eye it was obvious.

I haven't watched much ski racing lately, but I hear Shiffrin compared to Stenmark in terms of smoothness, so I'm really happy for her success.

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_baddad t1_j5rqvqa wrote

Smoothness and just ease. She looks like she’s not even trying. She’s had so many incredible saves too that would have cost other skiers seconds potentially and still won.

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throwaway77993344 t1_j5wfv47 wrote

Every time I watch her ski and think "this looks slower than the other racers" and magically she's just always faster. It really does look effortless.

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HalftimeHeaters t1_j5ot1w6 wrote

She's worked incredibly hard for this. Keep it up kiddo

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username7356905 t1_j5pctar wrote

I'll be extremely sad to find out her heart is not actually made of solid gold. Best skier, best person.

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marklondon66 t1_j5q2cez wrote

Sad because I loved Vonn, but Shiffrin is the greatest female slalom skier ever.

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celerydonut t1_j5qoiwj wrote

Burke mountain REPRESENT!!!

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CryptoTecno t1_j5qtf0j wrote

Lovely article and well deserved for Mikaela!

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mynameisnotshamus t1_j5q9xwj wrote

Such an amazing accomplishment so young especially. She deserves far more recognition that she’ll get

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Theoldelf t1_j5qbbd7 wrote

I read where other countries analyze her technique,in slow motion, trying to figure out how she’s consistently faster.

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pinkwblue t1_j5rilti wrote

Congrats to her. Well done.

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omdagbar t1_j5tog1a wrote

It’s a real shame the majority of WC races aren’t broadcast on US television. It makes it virtually impossible for casual fans to enjoy this historic season. I think US fans would care much more if it were more accessible to watch the races.

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VaderHater21 t1_j5uonwa wrote

Peacock has them if I'm not mistaken. Just awful times because it is mostly in Europe and during the daylight hours. So you gotta be up at like 2-3am to watch.

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omdagbar t1_j5uqc8k wrote

They have the domestic and Austrian events. All the other races are on skiandsnowboard.live.

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spayne1111 t1_j5qgz2v wrote

I want wonder self absorbed PR campaign LV will go on this week to keep herself relevant in the media while her record gets crushed.

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FnEddieDingle t1_j5r5sqo wrote

Erich Sailer rolling I've tin his grave and he isnt even dead

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throwaway77993344 t1_j5wg3lu wrote

I have no doubt that if she decided to focus on speed events she'd also dominate there. She consistently finishes top 10 in speed events with very limited training and consistently races top part-times. Just crazy.

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RzaAndGza t1_j5ppx6l wrote

Why are there so many world cups? Shouldn't it be once a year?

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SkiThe802 t1_j5pr50v wrote

The World Cup is what they call the highest circuit of Alpine Ski Racing. It is a full season made up of 40-50 individual races. The other major events are the Olympics (obviously, every 4 years) and the World Championships (every odd year).

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dvinpayne t1_j5pruk7 wrote

The world cup is the series, so all these races add up for points towards the world cup every year. There's also the world cup finals at the end of the year, although often the world cup itself is already decided by that point.

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Ericabneri t1_j5q68en wrote

World cup series' are common in wintersports, and other sports as well. They award overall world cup titles made up from individual events.

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BeesForDays t1_j5qxdq8 wrote

It’s skiing, got it. Thought it was soccer until reading the article 🤡

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jehovahs_thicness t1_j5q0i7h wrote

Oh now she turns it on?

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castle-black OP t1_j5q1pl8 wrote

Is this intended to be some shitty jab at her most recent Olympics performance? If so, it was a poor attempt and you're trash.

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jehovahs_thicness t1_j5q26wg wrote

Look at you all brave coming to her defense. This is America, ask Dak Prescott what happens on social media when athletes underperform.

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patsboston t1_j5ryldy wrote

You realize she was recovering from the death of her father during the Olympics. What a sad person you are.

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jehovahs_thicness t1_j5rzd06 wrote

NBC would have had a field day with that story had she won some gold medals.

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