Almost every time Mikaela Shiffrin sets out on the slopes, she creates skiing history. And on Sunday, finishing third in the slalom in Åre, Sweden, the American skier shattered even another record with her 156th podium result.
Shiffrin now boasts the most World Cup podiums of all time with that third-place performance, surpassing Swedish skier Ingemar Stenmark, who participated in the 1970s and 1980s.
Now holding so many records, Shiffrin, who just became the first downhill skier to reach 100 World Cup wins, said it was challenging to keep track of them all.
"There are so many debates about various numbers," she remarked later, quoting the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS).
While Austria's Katharina Truppe earned her maiden World Cup title, the 29-year-old had skied into a first-run lead on Sunday but could only finish in 25th on the second run, therefore placing her third overall.
"I feel reasonably good about it," Shiffrin said. "In demanding conditions you have to be so perfect, and it can be quite hard to ski loose and aggressive when you have no room for errors."
Since suffering a puncture cut to her abdomen and extreme muscular trauma when she crashed out during a race in November, Shiffrin was participating in only her fifth slalom race.
Since that collision, she has carried both physical and psychological scars; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) caused her to withdraw from the world championship giant slalom.
"My body screams at me; it's like a fight or flight: 'No, don't do it; it's harmful. For me and the entire team, this entire road has felt somewhat like whiplash.
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