February 23, 2025, was the greatest day to be an alpine skiing fan, for sure! Just 12 days after the team combined event where Mikaela Shiffrin snatched gold with Breezy Johnson in Saalbach, the 29-year-old clinched her 100th Alpine Ski World Cup victory in Sestriere, Italy. She has become the first-ever skier to achieve this milestone, and since then wishes have been coming her way from fans and celebrated worldwide. Moreover, the Colorado native has also earned praise from unlikely corners!

The 20-time Grand Slam singles champion, Roger Federer, has also taken the opportunity to congratulate Shiffrin on the larger-than-life achievement! The International Ski Federation (FIS) Alpine shared a video on their Instagram that includes the Swiss tennis legend’s message to Shiffrin. The caption reads, “🎾🤝⛷️ From the court to the slopes—greatness recognizes greatness!” What’s more, fans will be delighted to learn that the skiing sensation always had an admirer in the veteran tennis legend!

“Hi Mikaela, it’s Roger. Many congratulations also from my side. I saw your race and it was fantastic. Your 100th win is absolutely incredible. I don’t know how you do it but it’s so special, so fantastic. You’re the best and I’ve been cheering you on for so long now.” Looks like the star tennis player is in just as awe of Mikaela Shiffrin’s insane skill set as we are. How the Colorado native does it, that too a mere 12 weeks after a devastating crash, is unknown to us. She is just a class apart. There is no other explanation.

He continued: “To reach a hundredth title, win, or race is phenomenal, and you should be so proud. Your team should be so proud. You’ve done such an incredible job with your family and enjoy the moment because these moments unfortunately go by in a flash.” The win is sure to have all of the 29-year-old’s well-wishers and fans smiling ear to ear. Mikaela Shiffrin also shared the video on her Instagram story and collaborated with the FIS Alpine post. This cross-sport recognition is definitely one for history. But achieving such mind-boggling success was far from easy.

Shiffrin’s journey to this historic win was not without challenges. She was very close to this milestone in November 2024, but in a disheartening turn of events, she ended up injuring herself. However, no one can stop you from achieving what you are meant for. Hence, the Olympic champion’s victory is nothing short of amazing, like winning the World Cup in triple digits is huge, right? But how did she miss the victory last time?

Despite the previous setback, Mikaela Shiffrin clinched her 100th win

Mikaela Shiffrin has once again etched her name into skiing history by clinching her 100th World Cup victory. This remarkable achievement comes less than three months after a harrowing crash during a giant slalom race in Killington, Vermont, on November 30, 2024. In that incident, the 20-year-old legend suffered a deep puncture wound to her abdomen, leading to a torn oblique muscle and had to go through surgery. Her recovery was arduous, involving weeks of rehabilitation before she triumphantly returned to the slopes.

The new World Cup champion made her return post-recovery to the World Cup circuit on January 30 in Courchevel, France. Though she said that the recovery is an ongoing effort throughout the season, she still won a team match along with Breezy Johnson. They won gold in a combined event on February 11 at the FIS Alpine Skiing World Championships in Saalbach, Austria.

Reflecting on her journey, the 29-year-old expressed gratitude for reaching this milestone, acknowledging the challenges she faced during her recovery, “It’s been hard to find the right momentum and the right flow and to work through the injury and to come back and compete with these women who are skiing so strong and so fast.” We are not going to lie, after the awesomeness that the Shiffrin-Johnson partnership was at the team-combined event in Austria, we cannot wait for her to collaborate with other skiers as well.

Looking ahead, Mikaela Shiffrin remains focused on her passion for skiing and aims to inspire the next generation of athletes. In conjunction with her 100th victory, she has partnered with the Share Winter Foundation to raise $100,000 for youth skiing and snowboarding programs, underscoring her commitment to giving back to the sport that has given her so much.