After Nodding To Past Victory, Mikaela Shiffrin Close Second At Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup 2023/24 

It’s any woman’s game at the alpine skiing slope quite literally. While Mikaela Shiffrin awaited her 95th World Win to walk home with Grogu’s new friend, she lightly tripped. At the ongoing Audi FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup, her rivals Petra Vlhova, Federica Brignone, and Sara Hector have set their sight strong as well. So naturally, the 28-year-old always has to bring her A-game, until she couldn’t maintain her winning streak this time.

In the Flachau night slalom run, the 2x Olympic gold medalist tied herself with the skiing OG Ingemar Stenmark, etching her name in history. But she needs another race to outdo another Swedish icon, who’s not in the mood to give up her throne. While luck seemed to fortune Shiffrin, Hector proved to inevitably be the Swedish inexorable juggernaut there is.

 Sara Hector one ups Mikaela Shiffrin in the giant slalom

FIS Alpine has posted on Instagram, “What a race by @sarahector 🇸🇪👏🏻 First win of the season and 5th Win in World Cup! She is back to the victory in the World Cup after 2 years!” Hector has snatched the top position after a third-place slalom in Flachau. The reigning world champion in giant slalom was unbeatable in the first run. Tracing back to 2014, it’s not surprising to see that her first World Cup victory came from GS itself.

But on the other side, the skier who dreamt of impressing her home crowd faced quite an unfortunate fall. Since the slope setting can involve a lot of grip risks, it wasn’t very uncalled for. But Petra Vlhova’s falling at the night gate has twisted her knee. This may jeopardize her WC standing. But she’s “undergoing medical examinations” and “was stabilised,” as per The International Ski Federation’s report.

But Shiffrin’s trip to embrace another reindeer got extended now. But her already existing Grogu is nothing but a darling. His origin story is nothing short of a fun tale.

The significance of Grogu’s name, Shiffrin’s lucky charm

In Levi Finland’s slalom event, the Olympian limped to race after partly recovering from a left knee injury. But the expected win had taken her aback. It didn’t just come as a record 7th in Levi, but also with an adorable reindeer, which she named Grogu after sifting through multiple suggestions.

READ MORE: How Did Mikaela Shiffrin Meet Her Partner Aleksander Kilde? – An Icy Relationship Story

She took to her Instagram post to write, “Finally landed on one that I don’t think too many people would expect: Grogu! The background on this is fairly simple–Grogu (Baby Yoda) is one of my favorite characters of all time. His mannerisms are so funny and he’s simultaneously adorable and badass”. Also owning a Baby Yoda soft toy, she has always drawn inspiration from it during tough times. Now, it’s just a matter of some races to see where she goes with her artistry.

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