Exclusive: Dave Ryding on Mikaela Shiffrin after record-breaking 83rd Alpine World Cup win - ‘Just so damn good’
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Updated 24/01/2023 at 15:42 GMT
Speaking exclusively to Eurosport, Great Britain star Dave Ryding reflects on the record-breaking performance of America's Mikaela Shiffrin. Ryding reflects on watching Shiffrin burst onto the scene as a teenager, what sets her apart from the rest of the pack, as well as a comparison between her and another legend of the sport, Austria's Marcel Hirscher.
'Welcome to the record books!' – Shiffrin makes history with giant slalom win in Kronplatz
American superstar Mikaela Shiffrin is separated from the rest of the skiing pack because she is “just so damn good” according to Great Britain’s Dave Ryding.
Shiffrin, 27, has just recorded her 83rd win which puts her as the outright leader for the most World Cup wins by a female skier, one ahead of compatriot Lindsey Vonn. Now only Sweden's Ingemar Stenmark and his final tally of 86 wins stands ahead of Shiffrin.
Ahead of the Kitzbuhel weekend Ryding told Eurosport in an exclusive interview that Shiffrin’s technique is just so far ahead of everyone else that it’s a different game.
“I think Mikaela, she's just so damn good that she just stands out above everyone else,” explained Ryding. “Just because she's that good compared to the rest of the field.”
Ryding was on the circuit when Shiffrin broke through as a teenager and even then he remembers thinking there was something special about the young American.
“She was just stand out better than the rest. And it wasn't by tenths of a second like what you normally see it was by seconds.
And when you are seconds are better than the rest, you can have a bad day and still win.
“Then you think, this is going to take work. It's going to take a couple, two or three years before the other girls can even get competitive to this because she's just raised the bar up so much. And whether they ever will was the kind of question I was thinking.
“Even look at slalom now. I think the last two years, Petra [Vlhova] has probably been the one that's won more races but then you look in how many races each skier has won and Mikaela’s overall figure is night and day.”
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'What an incredible performance!' - Shiffrin records win number 82
As well watching the rise of Shiffrin, Ryding also did battle with another one of skiing’s unquestioned GOATs, Marcel Hirscher.
Perhaps even more so than Shiffrin, Hirscher produced one of the most extraordinarily consistent periods we have ever seen in skiing. The Austrian legend won eight straight overall Crystal Globes between 2012 and 2019 as well as picking up seven World Championships gold medals and two further golds at Olympic Games.
For Ryding, there are similarities between Hirscher and Shiffrin in their mental ability.
“I always thought with Marcel he was obviously a fantastic skier but his ability to recover was unbelievable.
“Also his mental strength to always win even if the odds were stacked against him, he’d do everything to make it happen.
“And that's what got me with Marcel and when I finished second to him in 2017 he pulled out a run I don't think I've seen before or since.
He’s just got something else with that mental strength but Mikaela has it as well. I mean, I watch her ski and she’s just stand out better.
“It's also the fact that she'll start racing October, and she won't finish until March. So it's a six months period where you just have to be at the top of your game almost every single weekend.
“She does all the disciplines as well, so I know how hard it is to keep my timing for slalom, and I only do slalom then you throw in the travel, the relentless pressure on the body because these pistes are tough, they're icy at times.
“It's relentless, and then you have two or three, four weeks off, and you start preparing for the next season. You also have to get the material set up. It's like fine tuning. It's not quite a Formula 1 car but it's fine tuning all the equipment to make sure that it's ready to race to make sure it suits you and the conditions. It’s a lot of work and incredible work that she's done.”
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'Stressful, peaceful, nervous, excited!' - Shiffrin on range of emotions after record win
Despite his incredible talent, Hirscher was unable to fulfil the public’s lofty ambitions for him of finally catching Stenmark’s legendary record of 86 wins.
At first, it was supposed to be Vonn, but her body just kept breaking down. For Hirscher it was his mind. He stepped away from the sport at the age of 30, citing the intense demands and media scrutiny, as well as wanting to spend more time with his family.
When Shiffrin came through Ryding said he thought she could be the one to finally break that record. And now she has just four wins left to reach the ultimate goal.
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