“I Kind of Don’t Care”: Mikaela Shiffrin Opens Up on the Mounting Expectations After Surpassing Lindsey Vonn’s Record

After twelve long years of professional glory, alpine skiing star Mikaela Shiffrin moves one snow-propelled ski run closer, to claim one more record to her name. After successfully beating Lindsey Vonn‘s skiing record, for 82 women’s all-time overall victories, the 34-year-old eyes another. Inching close to securing the maximum wins in World Cup races, the Olympic gold medalist shares her feelings.

Ahead of the important Word Championship contest, is Shiffrin too much under the pressure? The skiing icon talks her heart out in a recent interview.

Mikaela Shiffrin on dealing with the pressure

Shiffrin’s performance at the Beijing Olympics was not the best. Not only did she fail to secure a medal, but also did not finish three of her five individual races. She, however, realized that accepting the situation for what it was, was for the best. In conversation with Andrew Dampf of The Associated Press, Shifrin acknowledged that sometimes even if someone tries hard, things do not go the right way. Thus, with her experiences, in life, she has learned to “feel much more comfortable with both extremes and maybe a little bit less stressed about it in general.”

Even though ahead of her 82d run, she was nervous, she was determined to give her best. Now, with the Alpine skiing world championships in Courchevel and Meribel, France, her hopes are high. She is undeniably one of the strongest medal contenders. But is she taking the pressure?

Read More: Lena Duerr Breaks American Hearts as Mikaela Shiffrin Misses Record-Equaling 86th World Cup Win by a Whisker

Speaking about it, she quickly remarked, “Actually, no, not really.” She further added, “If I learned anything last year, it’s that these big events, they can go amazing, and they can go terrible, and you’re going to survive no matter what. So I kind of don’t care.” She is taking it slow and is enjoying the process.

The 0.06 seconds gap that held Shiffrin from securing  his 86th win  

In the span of one month, Shiffrin had already secured four world championship medals, and was on her way to securing the 5th one and creating a new record. However, Lena Duerr halted her winning steak. Even though, when the race started, she held a lead by 0.29 seconds, but midway, she lost her position. Standing second on the podium, Shiffrin had no regrets. Thus, for a difference of 0.06 seconds, she failed to register her 86th victory.

Over the years, she has been consistent with her races, and the last time she did not win a medal at the World cup was almost eight years ago, when she was still a teenager. Thus, with the upcoming world championships event lined up, it is only a matter of time to see whether or not Shiffrin can reach the 86th mark.

Watch This Story: Lindsey Vonn Praises 2X Gold Medalist Mikaela Shiffrin.