Mikaela Shiffrin closing on Lindsey Vonn and Ingemar Stenmark World Cup records - when could she break them?
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Updated 04/01/2023 at 18:02 GMT
Mikaela Shiffrin extended her World Cup wins tally to 81 after winning in Zagreb. The American legend is on a hot run of form and is closing on the high-water marks set by compatriot Lindsey Vonn and Sweden's Ingemar Stenmark. With Marco Odematt also on track to challenge Hermann Maier's World Cup points tally, it could be a season of records on the snow.
Shiffrin puts together flawless second run to win Zagreb slalom and close on Vonn record
Mikaela Shiffrin is accustomed to breaking records - but the two just ahead of her could be the most special yet.
American alpine legend Shiffrin won a hat-trick of races in Semmering, Austria last week and then triumphed in Zagreb to take her World Cup wins tally to 81.
She now needs just two more to break compatriot Lindsey Vonn's all-time female record of 82, and six more to overhaul Swede Ingemar Stenmark's overall mark of 86.
All this by just 27 years of age. And this means she should, in theory, have plenty of time to take both records.
But when could she do it?
HISTORY TO BE MADE IN ST ANTON?
The World Cup circuit is in Zagreb on January 4-5, with two slalom races scheduled.
Win the second - Shiffrin has already won the first - and Shiffrin would equal Vonn's win mark of 82.
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But it's in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia on January 7-8 where Shiffrin could break the female World Cup record, with two giant slaloms scheduled.
Stenmark's record would then be in her sights.
Much will depend on whether Shiffrin decides to race downhill at each opportunity this season - she already raced in the discipline at St Moritz earlier this month - but if she does, then the likeliest first opportunity for her to break the 86-win mark is in St Anton, Austria on 12-15 January.
If Shiffrin doesn't elect to race the downhill, then it's the next meeting at Cortina D'Ampezzo between 18-22 January that will theoretically give her the opportunity to eclipse Stenmark.
Of course, this relies on her winning every race, so perhaps the records are more likely to be broken later on in the season.
ODERMATT CHASING DOWN MAIER
Shiffrin is not the only one to be on a roll in the 2022/23 season.
Switzerland's Marco Odermatt has won five of his 12 races so far, and with a points tally of 946 already and a possible 24 events remaining, he could well challenge Hermann Maier's men's World Cup points record of 2,000.
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Only women Tina Maze (2,414 in 2013) and Shiffrin (2,204 in 2019) have ever won more points in a season.
If Odermatt is to break Maier's record, it will likely come towards the back-end of the campaign in March.
SHIFFRIN SAVOURING THE MOMENTS
Shiffrin, however, does not appear to have the records at the front of her mind.
“To be honest, I stopped wishing for things about three years ago," she told Austrian TV after the final race in Semmering.
“I’m here for the skiing, and being able to do it with a team-mate [Paula Moltzan, who finished second in Shiffrin's final Semmering win], with many team-mates, and an amazing crowd and amazing people around, I couldn’t even dare to wish for that, but we’re getting it, and it’s amazing.
“After everything that’s happened in life, personally and athletically, it’s just amazing to still be part of days like this.”
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