SALZBURG, Austria — Esteemed American ski athlete Mikaela Shiffrin will sit out the downhill events in the upcoming World Cup season as she sets her sights on achieving her 100th career victory.
As the current record-holder after eclipsing the legendary Ingemar Stenmark’s 86 World Cup wins in March 2023, Shiffrin stands at 97 wins and is nearing the milestone that many perceived as virtually unachievable.
In January, following a severe crash that was among the worst experiences in her skiing career, the two-time Olympic champion briefly contemplated stepping away from the sport altogether.
However, she quickly regained her motivation, sharing her thoughts about returning to the slopes: “You wake up the next morning and think, ‘I’m motivated, like, I want to be here,’” she conveyed in a recent media gathering for her equipment partner, Atomic, in Austria.
After the downhill crash that sidelined her for six weeks — causing her to miss out on what would have been a record-equaling sixth overall title — Shiffrin has decided to remove downhill racing from her agenda for the season.
“No downhill, not this season. I would love to bring it back, but we’ll see how it goes,” she noted.
Moving forward, Shiffrin plans to concentrate solely on the slalom, giant slalom (GS), and super-G events when the competitive season opens on October 26 with a giant slalom in Soelden, Austria.
This season also features world championships set to take place in Austria in February.
Despite missing six weeks of racing last year, Shiffrin managed to clinch nine race victories during the season.
During a full-speed crash on the 2026 Olympic course in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, she sustained injuries including a sprained MCL and tibiofibular ligament in her left knee.
The crash was part of a troublesome January racing schedule that saw several top competitors, including her fiancé Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, suffer injuries. Kilde underwent urgent surgery to address a serious calf injury and two torn shoulder ligaments, following a dangerous crash shortly before Shiffrin’s incident.
Both Shiffrin and Kilde have had talks about retirement during their recovery periods.
“We’ve had moments where we were like: ‘I’m so tired of it, it’s time,’” Shiffrin said, elucidating the shift in mindset that can occur between moments of doubt and motivation.
Currently, she remains largely motivated, though she acknowledges the challenges posed by the injuries, particularly Kilde’s, which delayed his recovery and resulted in additional surgery over the summer.
As Shiffrin prepares for the new season, she has participated in training camps with the U.S. ski team in Chile while maintaining her gym workouts to rebuild her physical strength following her injury hiatus.
While she is skipping all downhill events in the 2024-25 World Cup season, Shiffrin remains focused on participating in the nine scheduled super-G races, where she hopes to showcase her skills.
She reflected on her challenges last season, stating that there simply wasn’t enough time to properly train across all skiing disciplines.
“Last season, I felt that my super-G level was not very good. All season long, we were trying to find time to train in super-G, GS, and slalom,” Shiffrin explained, noting her intention to be “more efficient with our training” in the upcoming season.
With the first seven races of the season being predominantly technical events, Shiffrin has a solid opportunity to achieve her 100th career victory even ahead of the speed events set to begin in mid-December at Beaver Creek in her home state of Colorado.
Shiffrin expressed that she does not personally dwell on the significance of reaching 100 wins but recognizes it as a monumental achievement within the sport.
“I want to use this opportunity to promote the sport beyond just my personal achievements,” she remarked, revealing plans with her team to ensure that the milestone carries more significance beyond just a number.
Grateful for her experiences in the sport, Shiffrin shared her thoughts on how fulfilling skiing has been for her, regardless of the number of wins.
“To be honest, the fact that I’m still doing it feels selfish because what else is there to get? But I still want to be doing it,” she concluded.
