One of the ‘funny’ things about breaking records is what happens once the big record is broken. For just about all of her career, Mikaela Shiffrin looked up to Lindsey Vonn as the absolute record holder in Women’s Alpine World Cup victories. By the time she retired, Vonn had set the number at 82, only four short of the all-time Alpine record held by Ingemar Stenmark, at 86.
Shiffrin kept winning and kept winning, and, finally, yesterday, she eclipsed Vonn’s lofty mark with her 83rd World Cup win in a Giant Slalom race in Kronplatz, Italy.
She had several chances to win 83. She missed her first real crack at it in a Slalom race in Flachau, Austria on Jan. 10, when she finished second to Slovak great, Petra Vlhova. Then she had other chances at Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, finishing fourth and seventh in two downhills and seventh in a Super-G, not her ideal events, though she has won in them before.
But on her very next attempt at one of the ‘technical’ events (Slalom and Giant Slalom are considered technical events, with many gates in relatively short succession, and Super-G and Downhill are considered ‘speed’ events. They still have gates, but their spacing is much wider and much higher speeds are held between them, with much less severe or abrupt turns), yesterday, the Giant Slalom in Kronplatz, Mikaela came through, winning World Cup number 83 to break Vonn’s Women’s WC record.
In an unrelated sport, in November and December of last year, professional basketball player, Stephen Curry, broke the all-time records (regular season + playoffs, regular season) for made three-point shots. The records were received with a great deal of fanfare, as the former records (held by Ray Allen) had stood for some time. Of course, what receives no fanfare is, with every three-point shot he makes for the remainder of his career, Curry breaks the record anew. Our species isn’t wired to appreciate that. But Curry, like few others, can understand where Mikaela finds herself now relative to the record books.
That is where Mikaela Shiffrin is. And, where it took her over a month to go from 82 World Cup victories to 83, yesterday, which broke Vonn’s record, it only took one day to break her own record of 83, as just over an hour ago, she logged victory number 84 in a second Giant Slalom in Kronplatz.
She collapsed on the snow after she finished her second run (as was true yesterday, she led after run one, also), exhausted. I’m certain that her fitness is such that the exhaustion isn’t physical, but, rather, mental and emotional. What some may not realize, when you take the lead in one of these races, you sit in a prominent ‘hot seat’ while all of the remaining skiers ski. If someone takes the best time, you cede the seat to them. Both days Mikaela had to sit in the hot seat for the almost the entirety of run one. That meant sitting outdoors waiting for over 50 skiers to finish their runs, while your competitors are all back in warm environments, resting, refocusing and refueling for run two.
There is an hour or so between the completion of run one and the start of run two, plus the leader is the last to ski in run two, so she did get something of a break. But sitting there outdoors all that time in front of the people and the cameras has a psychological cost. And the pressure of skiing last in run two is also psychologically difficult, because defending is hard, as is the pressure of winning and staying consistent. An earlier start position is considered advantageous in the technical events, because the course gets chopped up and snow gets shoved into lumps and ruts as more skiers traverse it. So conditions for the final ski in run two may be problematic indeed.
Be that as it may, the greatest skier most of us have ever seen came out and laid down the fastest run in the first run (she started fourth, of 57 skiers), sat in the hot seat the remainder of the run, then came out for the second run skiing last, and even extended her lead in run two, to take the victory.
There was no fanfare for the broken record - that will have to wait until she breaks Stenmark’s all-time record of 86 wins - but we were still given the gift of seeing this magnificent athlete ply her trade as only she can, taking care of business as only she does.
She is also close to the all-time record in Giant Slalom wins, with 19. That record is held by the Swiss great, Vreni Schneider (who raced 1984-1995), with 20. So that’s another record that could soon fall. Mikaela already holds the record (men and women) for most single discipline wins, with 51 in Slalom. (Stenmark is second, with 40, and Marlies Schild is second among women with 35. Among active skiers, Petra Vlhova is second, with 18 Slalom wins.)
Mikaela’s next chances to extend her record and approach Stenmark’s all-time record come Saturday and Sunday, with two Slalom races in Spindleruv Mlyn, Czechoslovakia. Until then, she gets a precious chance to rest. She has just completed a run of five World Cup races in six days. (But it is important to note that the last two of those races each had two runs. So, I think seven races in six days.)
Watch closely. We aren’t likely to see her like again in this lifetime.
Thanks for everyone who visited the tribute diary I wrote about her yesterday. It was encouraging to see the level of support she so richly deserves. If you would like to visit yesterday’s diary about her first record-breaking race, it is here.