In the start gate in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Shiffrin’s singular focus takes over. Words MEGAN MICHELSON Photos MIKE “DAWSY” DAWSON was nearing midnight and six giant bags of luggage still needed packing. Earlier in the day—on a sunlit Saturday last March—American ski racer Mikaela Shiffrin had beat Ingemar Stenmark’s 86-win record for the most World Cup victories, racing slalom in Stenmark’s home country of Sweden. But there was little time to stop and reflect. For Shiffrin, the record breaker was a race like countless others. That night she stuffed gear into duffles, while her brother, Taylor, and his wife, Kristi, who were jet-lagged after a surprise visit from the U.S., fell asleep on Shiffrin’s bed. It had been one of her best slalom performances ever, fin-ishing nine-tenths of a second ahead of runner up Wendy Holdener, from Switzerland. As soon as she crossed the finish line, Shiffrin spent the entire afternoon in one media interview after another. It’s true Lindsey Vonn had put the U.S. back on the global ski map in the 2010s, but a 27-year-old from Colorado beating the World Cup win record felt like something else entirely. Stenmark wasn’t there, though he was watching the race on TV. “Four years ago, I predicted Mikaela would win 100 races and you can tell I was right,” Stenmark later told journalists. “She deserves all my admiration.” IT Shiffrin was late for her team dinner that night and she had to leave early the next morning for the World Cup finals in Andorra, so late-night luggage was her only companion. At one point that evening Shiffrin asked, “Do we have any wine—or anything?” But there was nothing in the apartment except a box of Capri Suns. (Shiffrin almost never drinks alcohol, but the occasion seemed right.) Later, her physiotherapist—who was staying in the same apartment as her—found the fixings for a celebratory gin and tonic and delivered a drink to Shiffrin while everyone else in the house slept. Sometimes, being the greatest ath-lete of all time is a lonely affair. Nobody understands that better than Shiffrin. 042 The Ski Journal
The Ski Journal Volume 17, Issue 3: Page 42
