Mikaela Shiffrin credits Lindsey Vonn for 'paving way' in gender equality
The most successful alpine skier in World Cup history said her former teammate "allowed me to be here now and not to think so much about the fact that it’s women versus men".
Alpine Skiing
After breaking Ingemar Stenmark's record of 86 Alpine Ski World Cup wins in the Are slalom on Saturday (11 March), Mikaela Shiffrin was quick to pay tribute to Lindsey Vonn.
Shiffrin's former teammate came close to Stenmark's total, amassing 82 victories before recurring knee injuries forced her to retire in 2019.
Vancouver 2010 downhill gold medallist Vonn has long been an advocate for gender equality in the sport, and Shiffrin acknowledged how she had changed the public perception about records as she highlighted the importance of seeing a woman at the top of the all-time wins list.
"The fact that Lindsey got so close (to the record) and talked openly of how much of a goal was for her…did highlight the impact that her entire career had on women’s ski racing and women’s sport in general. That has allowed me to be here now and not to think so much about the fact that it’s women versus men,” the double Olympic champion said in a virtual press conference.
“Now it’s about which athlete (regardless of their gender) takes the stop there and I think that’s been only possible for me because of how far Lindsey got and achieved. That’s when you talk about one generation paving the way for the next generation. That’s something she has done for ski racing. And, hopefully, I and the rest of my competitors continue to do.”
Shiffrin later publicly thanked Vonn on social media after the US ski legend wrote in a post: “Keep raising the bar, now higher than anyone before! Congrats @MikaelaShiffrin.”
Shiffrin overwhelmed as Simone Biles and Roger Federer lead praise from sport and Hollywood
Vonn was far from the only personality who celebrated Shiffrin's feat.
The 27-year-old could not hold back her tears when she watched a tribute video featuring Roger Federer and Simone Biles, along with Hollywood stars Kate Winslet and Patrick Dempsey.
Current women's tennis number one Iga Swiatek, who has built up a firm friendship with Shiffrin in recent years, was also in the video and Shiffrin said, "Yes, I heard from Iga. She sent me a note like immediately yesterday.
"I saw a message from Roger (Federer) today in the middle of an interview: he pops like on a video and I just immediately start like, ‘I’m going to cry…’ And yeah Kate Winslet, which is mind boggling.
“It’s pretty wild the number of people who reached out and all the amazing things people had said. This has made me think, ‘Do I deserve it?’ It’s just hard to wrap my head around it all!”
Asked if she had talked with Stenmark, the five-time overall World Cup winner revealed: "No, I didn’t talk to him. But he sent me so many supportive messages, he must not have been sleeping! Unbelievable words from someone that I consider the greatest of all time and that’s never going to change."
Mikaela Shiffrin: My motivation is still there
Shiffrin played down claims that she is the greatest of all time or 'GOAT'.
“The GOAT term for me is very interesting because all I can really see in my mind is the image of a baby goat or like a fainting goat,” she laughed mentioning memes and videos she recently found on social media.
“The greatest of all time just depends on what your definition is,” she added.
“Some people feel the greatest number of victories is the greatest of all time but I realised that, no matter what I accomplish, people root for who they want to win. It can be something that doesn’t have anything to do with Ingemar, Lindsey, Marcel (Hirscher), Bode (Miller) or whoever. It is a personal thing and that’s what is so beautiful about sport.”
After clinching her fifth overall World Cup and 10 small Crystal Globes, there are still more records for Shiffrin to chase.
One is the number of titles in a single discipline (eight) jointly held by Vonn (downhill) and Stenmark (slalom, giant slalom). Shiffrin currently has seven slalom crowns.
But the seven-time world champion believes her motivation stems from “the anticipation and nervousness” she still feels ahead of racing.
“It’s the skiing that I want to do. Every day I wake up and want to do it, again and again. That is not done yet, it’s stronger than ever,” she said.