‘Much-Deserved’: Mikaela Shiffrin Celebrates as 32-Year-Old Swiss Skier Becomes the Oldest Woman to Win the Alpine Skiing World Cup

Mikaela Shiffrin has been a dominant name in every Alpine skiing tournament. But, on 26th January, something unexpected hit Shiffrin and her spectators hard. Unfortunately, she met with a downhill crash that left her struggling with a sprained leg ligament. Not only this, but this also cost her the last three races of the 2024 season: Giant Slalom, Super-G, and Downhill. 

Despite having met with adversities in a sporting career, Shiffrin never fails to make it to the spotlight. Currently, Mikaela is making waves for appreciating her competitor, who trailed her at the 26th January Downhill crash by 420 points.

Mikaela Shiffrin cheering Lara’s remarkable win

Recently, five-time overall Alpine skiing champion Mikaela Shiffrin took to her official Instagram account and uploaded a video of a fellow skier on her story. While applauding the Swiss Lara Gut Behrami, Mikaela penned, “Congrats Lara!! Much deserved and spectacular skiing today by Fede, too“

The major reason for appreciating Swiss Sensation Lara is her incredible display of skiing at the Alpine Skiing World Cup. Two-time World Champion and Olympic gold medalist, Lara is no stranger to record-breaking success stories. Recently, she etched her name in the historical records as the Oldest Woman to claim the Alpine Skiing World Cup Overall Title, replacing 30-year-old Vreni Schneider’s 1995 record. 

At 32, Lara secured her second overall title to seal the deal with two races from Downhill to Slalom. Her dominance across all disciplines has proclaimed her as the Ultimate All-around Alpine Skiing maestro while cementing her status as the world’s finest skier. However, there is a slight twist to Lara’s tale. 

From Brignone surge to Lara’s triumphs

While Shiffrin, due to her leg injuries, missed the next 11 races, Lara got the chance to win five of these races with a remarkable 282 points lead over the Italian opponent, Federica Brignone, to secure her place at the four-race World Cup finals. However, neither Shiffrin nor Lara skipped the Slalom.

Read More: Mikaela Shiffrin’s Partner’s Mother Pens Emotional Note Amid Son’s Recovery Journey

This opened up opportunities for Brignone, who secured Sunday’s GS, whereas Lara secured the overall title while claiming the 10th position in Saalbach, Austria. “It’s unbelievable; the GS has always been so important to me…I was really nervous today because I really wanted to win that. I skied so bad, I was just nervous, so I’m not surprised about that,” she said to Lara after her enthralling win.

Also Read: Amidst Injury Challenges, Mikaela Shiffrin’s Boyfriend Aleksander Kilde Reveals His Downhill ‘Inspection Routine’