Associated Press2 minute reading
SOLDEU, Andorra – Mikaela Shiffrin won her 21st career giant slalom at the World Cup final on Sunday as the American standout ended the season with another record.
The victory moved Shiffrin past Vreni Schneider, a week after matching the Swiss skier’s mark of 20 World Cup giant slalom victories. The American has won seven of the last eight events and took the giant slalom world championship last month.
The overall record, between men and women, is held by Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark, who won 46 giant slaloms in the 1970s and 80s.
“I don’t know, tell me,” Shiffrin said with a laugh when asked about possible next records in an on-track interview conducted by her boyfriend and World Downhill Champion Aleksander Aamodt Kilde. “Just keep going,”
When The Source asked her about plans to improve for next season, Shiffrin joked, “We can discuss that later, privately.”
Shiffrin secured the overall, slalom and giant slalom titles this season, extending the record for most career victories to 88.
On Sunday, Shiffrin also set a personal best of 2,206 World Cup points from 31 starts this season, two more than her tally from 2018-19, when she participated in 26 races.
Only one skier has secured more points in a single season: Slovenian great Tina Maze ended her 2012-13 campaign with 2,414.
Sunday’s result also marked Shiffrin’s record 138th career World Cup podium, moving her ahead of former teammate Lindsey Vonn’s 137.
But for Shiffrin, her personal favorite record came nine years ago.
“Honestly, I think probably being the youngest Olympic slalom champion. That was really the only record that I actually ever wanted, that I was really shooting for,” said Shiffrin, who was 18 when she won her first Olympic gold at the 2014 Games in Sochi. “It happened a while ago and I’m still motivated today; I still had that nervous feeling up there. I was so nervous at the beginning … because you want to do well. And it doesn’t matter about records It is just you want to do well.”
With the sun shining down on the Avet track, Shiffrin held on to her first race lead to edge Thea Louise Stjernesund by 0.06 seconds. The Norwegian got his first podium in his career.
Canadian skier Valerie Grenier was third, trailing Shiffrin by 0.20.
Three of the top seven ranked drivers did not finish their first race as Petra Vlhova, who won Saturday’s slalom, Federica Brignone and Olympic champion Sara Hector all missed a gate.
Two-time former world champion Tessa Worley finished 11th in what she said would be the last race of her career. The French giant slalom specialist has won 16 races and three season titles, most recently last year.