The American skier will try, Saturday, February 18, during the slalom of the Méribel Worlds, for which she is the big favorite, to add to an unrivaled list a second title of world champion in Savoy.
by Nicolas Lepeltier (Méribel, Savoie, Special Envoy)
But how far will Mikaela Shiffrin extend her reign? Sacred world champion in giant slalom Thursday, February 16, a week after obtaining the money in super-G, the American alpine ski queen on the occasion of adding one more line to her record, Saturday February 18, during of the slalom of these Worlds, in Méribel (Savoie), for which it is the immense favorite.
An already very thick record, which makes her, at 27 years old, one of the largest skiers of all time. The native of Vail, in Colorado, has the greatest number of victories in the women’s cup: 85 success, three units more than her compatriot Lindsey vonn, the last on the slopes of Spindleruv Mlyn, in the Czech Republic, end January.
To this, we must add three Olympic medals (two in gold) to Sochi (Russia), in 2014, and in Pyeongchang (South Korea), in 2018, thirteen world medals, including seven titles, in four different disciplines (Slalom, giant slalom, super-g and combined), like the Swedish Anja Paerson and the Frenchwoman Marielle Goitschel before her. Admittedly, it remains at a good distance from the German Christel Cranz (15 titles, including 12 titles), but it was before the war, in the antiquity of skiing.
Since the Schladming Worlds (Austria), in 2013, the American has always adorned itself with gold. “Shiffrin is really at the top, estimates Florence Masnada, former double Olympic combined medalist today consultant for Eurosport. She is technically hyperprécise, her skiing is not risky, it has the impression that she always has room . Mikaela Shiffrin is modern skiing. “For Florence Masnada,” there is no photo, Shiffrin, it’s the biggest skier of all time “.
The interested party denies it and says that she does not seek to engrave her name in the history of world skiing. Only she confides having been “a little nervous” at the start of the giant of Kranjska Gora (Slovenia), on January 8, “because of the record” owned by Lindsey vonn that she was going to match less than a minute more late
After her victory, Thursday, during the giant of the Worlds, the American made this little reminder: “I do not think I can do anything to be the biggest skier of all time. (… ) Some people will consider me the best, others think that I am not even part of this debate. The two can be right. “
” It makes me vertigo “
Now, the question is no longer whether it will break the mythical record of the Swedish Ingemar Stenmark (86 victories in the World Cup), which seemed frozen for eternity, but rather when. Surely before the end of the season, in March, during the finals of balance (Andorra). Many even see her crossing the bar of 100 career victories, a brand that was believed to be inaccessible. She never asked herself the question.
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