Mikaela Shiffrin on record-breaking 83rd Alpine Skiing World Cup victory - ‘No words to explain all the feelings'

ByNigel Chiu

Updated 24/01/2023 at 14:54 GMT

Mikaela Shiffrin was almost lost for words after surpassing Lindsey Vonn with a record 83rd Alpine Skiing World Cup victory in Kronplatz. Shiffrin’s incredible campaign saw her win for a ninth time this season as she now looks to surpass Ingemar Stenmark’s 86 victories, which is the most wins for any skier in the sport’s history. Stream the 2022-23 Alpine Skiing World Cup live on discovery+

Mikaela Shiffrin says she “can’t explain all the feelings” she felt when becoming the most successful female skier of all-time with her 83rd Alpine Skiing World Cup win.

Shiffrin’s stunning victory in Kronplatz, where she was pushed by Lara Gut Behrami, saw her surpass Lindsey Vonn’s record of 82 World Cup victories.

The 27-year-old is just three wins behind Ingemar Stenmark’s men’s and women’s record of 86.

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“It’s hard to find the words actually,” Shiffrin told Eurosport. “I don’t think there are words to explain all the feelings. During the day it’s stressful, sometimes peaceful, sometimes nervous, sometimes excited.

“These days with two runs are long days, they are exhausting but by the end of it there is too much excitement to feel. I don’t know if that makes sense. It’s not something you can explain.

"I just try to breathe a bit, enjoy it and the thing I’m really excited about is we get two more runs tomorrow because the course is in really good condition.”

There are three more races this week on the women’s tour, before a break in the World Cup so the athletes can prepare for the World Championships, which take place from February 6-18 in Courchevel and Meribel.

All of the events are technical disciplines, Shiffrin’s favoured events, with a second giant slalom on Wednesday in Kronplatz and two slaloms in Spindleruv.

Shiffrin has been at the top of the sport for over a decade, with her first world title coming in 2013 as a 17-year-old in Schladming.

• Ryding claims podium in Kitzbuhel slaom as Yule storms to victory
• Mowinckel takes super-G glory in Cortina, Shiffrin pays for late error

'Welcome to the record books!' – Shiffrin makes history with giant slalom win in Kronplatz

The American says she still thrives on the need to push herself and take risks to beat her rivals under immense pressure.

“The level is pretty incredible,” Shiffrin added. “To be part of these competitions you have to be pushing on your limit. Like the super-G in Cortina I was totally on my limit.

“If you make one mistake, if it’s a big enough mistake, you are off the podium, off the win, maybe out of fifth or 10th position.

“You have to take the risks and sometimes it’s going to be good and sometimes it’s not.

“I think it’s important that we always take the good pieces of our skiing and keep trying to push because that’s when it’s really exciting.”

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Stream the 2022-23 Alpine Skiing World Cup live on discovery+ and eurosport.co.uk.

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