Mikaela Shiffrin on chasing Annemarie Moser-Pröll's record: 'It would be the biggest accomplishment'
Ahead of her season debut in Soelden, the most successful alpine skier in World Cup history explains why she hasn't lost motivation and what winning a sixth big crystal globe would mean to her.
Alpine Skiing
Alpine skiing star Mikaela Shiffrin said that her motivation remains unchanged following a triumphant season, where she surpassed Ingemar Stenmark's historic mark of 86 wins, solidifying her position as the most successful skier in World Cup history.
"Everyone was wondering if I was going to lose motivation, but I was like, 'Why should I lose motivation after accomplishing something that I never truly set out to accomplish as opposed to like a fifth overall globe, which was something that I was kind of shooting for," the two-time Olympic champion told journalists on Thursday (26 October) evening during an online press conference from Soelden, Austria, where on Saturday she will make her season debut.
"If anything - she added -that just makes me want to fight again this year and be in the race for the overall globe again, because that's always been one of my biggest goals. So that motivation doesn't change because it just kind of resets every year. And I guess that's where my head's at."
Shiffrin on Moser-Proell: 'She's a complete trailblazer in ski racing'
Shiffrin has clinched the past two overall titles, and this season, she has the opportunity to equal the women's record set by Annemarie Moser-Proell in 1979 with six big crystal globes.
The 28-year-old American shared that she has already had the privilege of meeting the Austrian legend, who retired in 1980 at the age of 26, just a few weeks after being crowned Olympic downhill champion in Lake Placid.
"She just struck me as somebody who was passionate about skiing and she was so supportive with me at the time - Shiffrin said - You know, I wasn't anywhere near a threat to any of the records and titles that she won. I might have been around 50 wins maybe and she said something to me like, 'You just go for it. If you're going to, you're going to pass me.' And it was just pretty striking to me that her mind was already there at the time when nobody else's was. That was just kind of a wild and pretty cool experience!"
The seven-time world champion explained why matching Moser-Proell record would be important for her: "She's a complete trailblazer in ski racing and I would say that if I am able to match that sixth overall title, that would be probably the biggest accomplishment"
Shiffrin is gearing up for her 14th campaign in alpine's premier international circuit.
In the previous season, the American graced the podium 18 times, securing 14 victories across three disciplines (super-G, giant slalom, and slalom). She concluded the season with 2,206 points, surpassing her record-breaking 2017 campaign by just two points.
With no World Championships or Olympics in the lineup, the tech specialist mentioned that she might "take advantage" of a less condensed calendar to incorporate "at least two more super Gs into the mix."
Shiffrin has triumphed twice on the Rattenbach glacier, in 2014 and in 2021, with last year's event being cancelled due to unfavourable weather: "This first race is probably just going to be an opportunity to get the best training that we've had access to because it's the only hill that's actually properly prepared for ski racing right now," she said, referring to the lack of snow she encountered in Europe during the pre-season.