Becoming a world-class athlete demands relentless passion, unwavering dedication, and the ability to weather the toughest challenges. For Mikaela Shiffrin, the journey on snow has been anything but ordinary. While she was all geared up to record her 100th World Cup win, an unfortunate accident left her with a bad memory.

Shiffrin has participated in the World Cups and so many championships, but her favorite memory is not related to her snow journey or any of her victories. She shared a memory of her that sparked her passion when she was young. What is it, you may ask?

Mikaela Shiffrin’s favorite memory that sparked passion 

Mikaela Shiffrin had a conversation with Refinery29 and shared some glimpses of the question answers on her Instagram. She posted a video of five burning questions, and when asked about her favorite World Cup memory, Shiffrin replied, “My favorite World Cup memory was probably watching the Birds of Prey race, watching Bode Miller compete when I was really young.” He is one of the greatest World Cup racers of all time, with 33 race victories, and is one of five men (and the last to date) who has won World Cup events in all five disciplines. He has been Shiffrin’s source of motivation that inspired her to go skiing.

Furthermore, she also talked about her “Mama, I made it moment.” She said, “My first mama, I made it the moment was when I won my first World Cup race.” Shiffrin claimed her first World Cup in slalom during the 2012-13 season at the Alpine World Championships. In 2014, at age 18, she became the youngest Olympic slalom champion in history at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia.

While talking about her pre-race rituals, Shiffrin shared what helps her to relax and focus on her face. It is very important to start the race with calmness to ensure the win. She shared one of her rituals: “Race day is a little bit of a hurry-up-and-wait situation, so if I can fit in a 20-minute power nap literally anywhere, normally it’s on the floor of the hospitality tent that they put up for the athletes, so it’s not glamorous. It’s definitely not in bed, but that’s my meditative moment.” Indeed, an athlete goes through lots of hardships; with victory and fame, it is not all glamorous but needs lots of dedication and hard work.

That’s not all; the three-time Olympic medalist also shared the lesson she learned in 2024. “Everything meaningful in life starts with passion. Dive into that thing and be fierce, motivated and vulnerable,” she mentioned. With all the victories on the world level, Mikaela Shiffrin faced many injuries while skiing, and sometimes it takes a toll on her mental and physical health.

Shiffrin’s journey on the snow was all ups and downs

Mikaela Shiffrin made her World Cup debut on March 11, 2011, a few weeks after her 16th birthday, and she has never looked back since then. She won the slalom title at the US National Championships at Winter Park, Colorado, and became the youngest American ski racer to claim the national alpine crown. Fast-forward to 2024, and she has a record of 99 World Cup races, but an unfortunate incident stopped her from winning her 100th victory in a World Cup.

Mikaela has suffered many injuries in the past, but this was a bit disappointing due to her 100th upcoming win. It is so heartbreaking when you are on the verge of winning such a big milestone and an unfortunate incident takes over. Shiffrin was about to compete for the 100th World Cup title of her career, but last month she met with an accident as she lost control of her skis, and within a second she bumped into a gate. Though it was so intense, she managed it beautifully and suffered just a wound. Is that it?

No, though she didn’t break her bone or something, she had to go through surgery to clear the fluid from the wound and help her repair a torn muscle near her pelvis. Now, she is doing fine and even updated her fans about her well-being. She even tweeted about her recovery, “Now I’m tune-free.” Let’s hope Mikaela Shiffrin recovers fast and comes back with a bang and soon reaches the 100th World Cup win milestone.