As the Alpine Ski World Cup makes its grand return to Tremblant after a 40-year absence, fans can count on the presence of the greatest skier in history.
The white circus will stop in Tremblant for two giant slalom events on December 2nd and 3rd, where American Mikaela Shiffrin is off to a great start to the season with two wins and a bronze medal in four races, alongside all of the circuit’s big names.
This is the first stop since 1985 in the tourist town of Stoneham, where the Alberto Tomba craze was in full swing. The Italian, nicknamed La Bomba, won the slalom.
Shiffrin, the overall Crystal Globe winner the past two seasons, made history last March by becoming the winningest skier in the World Cup with her 87th career win in the Are slalom in Sweden on March 11. In Are in December 2012 she also achieved the first World Cup victory of her career.
The day before, she equalized Swede Ingemar Stenmark’s mark with a victory in the giant slalom.
A 6e cumulative crystal ball in sight
Even though she broke Stenmark’s record last March, Shiffrin is still hungry. Beyond her two victories since the start of the season, she is aiming for a 6th place overall, which would allow her to equal the record set by Austrian Annemarie Moser-Pröll. She won the titles in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2023.
Three Olympic medals
Shiffrin was a gold medalist in slalom at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and giant slalom at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, and also won bronze in alpine combined in South Korea. However, the American was thwarted at the 2022 Games in Beijing and failed to finish on the podium in the six competitions in which she competed. Shiffrin also has seven world titles and 14 podiums, making her the most decorated American woman.
Unique services
In 2019, Shriffin, who studied at Burke Mountain Academy, a private school in Vermont that nurtures some of America’s top talent, had an exceptional season, his best of his career.
She was the first skier to win the Crystal Globe in four disciplines, namely slalom, giant slalom, super-G and overall. His titles in Slalom and Super-G are exceptional. If we compare it to track and field, that would mean the same athlete would win the 100m and the 1500m, which we never see.
His 17 wins in 2019 represent a record. At Lake Louise, she became the first athlete to win a competition in all six disciplines when she won the super-G.
By winning the world gold medal in slalom, Shiffrin also became the first skier ever to win four consecutive titles in the same discipline.
New coach
Shiffrin has been linked to Mike Day since his debut with the American team and made a significant change at the end of last season by acquiring the services of Karin Harjo. When she worked for Alpine Canada last season, Harjo had done well and was well-liked by the skiers, but she couldn’t turn her back on the opportunity to work with the best skier in the world. His mother Eileen has been there since he started and is still involved in his training.
Her father, who was passionate about skiing, died in February 2020. After a break, Shiffrin returned with a bang in 2021, winning four World Championship medals.
Was very busy
After breaking Stenmark’s record, the skier from Vail, Colorado had no time to rest. Taylor Swift concert with her Team America teammates, ESPY gala where she was voted female athlete par excellence; night the Times Magazine named him one of the 100 Most Influential Athletes in the Pioneer category; and presence in Massachusetts, where a cabin next to Michael Jordan’s was named after him.
Some numbers that illustrate his phenomenal career
World Cup results
- 90 wins,
- 25 silver medals
- 26 Bronze
- 141 podiums from 254 starts
Olympic results
- 2 gold medals and one silver medal
World Cup results
- Seven gold medals
- Four made of silver
- Three bronze medals in 17 starts
- First World Cup victory: December 2012 in Are, Sweden, in the slalom.
- First World Cup start: March 11, 2011 in the Czech Republic, two days before his 16th birthday.
- January 2023: She secures her 83rd career win, overtaking compatriot Lindsey Vonn and taking the lead for most women’s World Cup titles.
- March 11, 2023: She celebrates her 87th career victory and overtakes Ingemar Stenmark at the top of the most successful skiers in the World Cup.