Mikaela Shiffrin sets a new skiing record with her 156th podium finish

Mikaela Shiffrin made history once again as she broke another record by getting her 156th podium finish, coming third in the slalom in Åre, Sweden.

With this win, Shiffrin now has the most World Cup podiums in history, surpassing the record held by Swedish skier Ingemar Stenmark, who competed in the 1970s and ’80s. 

The athlete, who also recently became the first downhill skier to earn 100 World Cup wins, now holds so many records that she confessed it’s tough to keep track of them all. 

A social media post shared by the Stifel US Ski Team stated: “🚨 New Record Reset!!🚨 @mikaelashiffrin surpasses Ingemar Stenmark’s record to grab her 156th World Cup podium!!! 🤯 The stats: 280 starts 156 podiums 100 victories 🔥🔥🔥”

 

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Highlights of Shiffrin’s race 

The 29 year-old took the lead after the first run, but finished 25th in the second run, placing her in third position overall, while Austria’s Katharina Truppe claimed her first World Cup title. 

Shiffrin said about her performance: “I feel pretty good about it… In challenging conditions you have to be so perfect, and it can be really hard to ski loose and aggressive when you have no room for errors.” 

Shiffrin was competing in only her fifth slalom race since sustaining a puncture wound to her abdomen and serious muscle trauma in a crash last November. The athlete said that the physical and mental effects of the crash stayed with her, and she even had to withdraw from the giant slalom at the World Championships due to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 

She told CNN: “When we got over here (Europe) and I started to really get into the intensity with giant slalom, there’s this kind of mind-body disconnect… I’m telling myself to do certain technical moves and it’s just not happening.”

She added: “My body’s screaming at me, it’s like a fight or flight: ‘No, don’t do it, it’s risky, it’s dangerous.’ … This whole journey has felt a little bit like whiplash, I think, for me and for the whole team.”