In the world of Alpine skiing, Mikaela Shiffrin is a name associated with greatness. With 2 gold medals at the Olympic Games and 7 gold medals at the World Championships, Shiffrin has proved herself time and again. When it comes to skiing, she is somewhat of a wizard, blessed with a magic unknown. Although, even the greats can fall prey to dubiety at times.

Surprisingly, despite her statistics, which speak for themselves, when the 6-time consecutive World Championship winner was nominated for an ESPY award, her first instinct was that she would not be winning. This is probably that once-in-a-lifetime occurrence when we are glad she was proved wrong.

Mikaela Shiffrin bags a prestigious honor at the ESPYs

The world leader in World Cup victories was crowned as the Best Athlete in Women’s Sports at the ESPY Awards 2023. When the Olympic skier got wind of her nomination for the award, she posted a video on her official Twitter handle, on July 7. The 2-minute-long video revealed a Shiffrin who was sure that she was not going to get the win. In the video, Shiffrin got candid about her mindset regarding the nomination, and said, “That recognition in itself is amazing.”

However, she followed it up with some doubts, and said, “It’s just one of those situations where I don’t expect to win.” Shiffrin went on to explain the reasons behind her doubt. One of the factors behind her hesitation was being up against mammoth names such as LeBron James and Max Verstappen. With their sport having a much higher reach, one can say Shiffrin’s doubts might be justified. Though, when the ESPY Awards 2023 came around, Mikaela Shiffrin was proved wrong. The legendary skier with 88 World Cup wins overall was felicitated with high honor, contradicting all of Shiffrin’s candid confessions.

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According to a report by People, the 27-year-old said, “Through failure and success, it’s been a long journey and it’s not over yet. but I really have to say thank you to my family. I really have to say thank you to my friends.” Earlier this year, Mikaela Shiffrin broke Ingemar Stenmark’s world record of 86 World Cup wins. Moving forward, she wishes to inspire generations to come to make it big in the world of sports with her journey.

Forging a path of undisputed eminence

The win that Shiffrin got was a well-deserved one. She left behind soccer player Sophia Smith, Grand Slam-winning tennis star Iga Świątek and WNBA champion A’ja Wilson to clinch the award. Certainly, she was the star of the evening. However, Mikaela Shiffrin grabbed some “overwhelming” inspiration from her fellow sports icons present there. Despite stealing the show, the Olympic skier showcased humility unmatched.

As she told People, “And I just feel like it’s not important to break records and reset records. It’s important to set tones for the next generation and to inspire them.” Like any pioneer, Shiffrin’s goal is clear. Records-hopping is not on her agenda, the holistic growth of Alpine skiing as a sport is much more essential to her. some might say she has already done it, turned the sport on its head. However, it is not over yet for Shiffrin. This win is simply a step further in a journey that will continue to inspire millions.

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