Mikaela Shiffrin now stands alone in the record books. The American skier made history with her record-breaking 83rd World Cup race victory in giant slalom on Tuesday, ending a tie on the all-time list with former United States teammate Lindsey Vonn.
"I don't think there are words to explain all the feelings," Shiffrin said following the victory, according to the Associated Press. "In the end of it, it's like there's too much excitement to feel. I don't know if that makes sense. So it's something you can't explain. So I just try to breathe a bit and enjoy it."
Shiffrin is now only three victories away from topping Ingemark Stenmark's overall record of World Cup race wins for both men and women, which stands at 86. Stenmark was prominent in the sport in the 1970s and 1980s.
On Tuesday, Shiffrin found herself in the lead from the beginning of the race, which took place at the Kronplatz Resort in the Italian Dolomites. Shiffrin crossed the finish line 0.45 seconds ahead of Lara Gut-Behrami and 1.43 seconds ahead of Italy's Federica Brignone.
Shiffrin ended up posting the fastest first run of any competitor -- and had the luxury of being the final skier to conduct her second run.
"I was a bit nervous for the second run, but mostly, I hate waiting," Shiffrin told the AP. "Finally, when it was time to go, then it was like everything went quiet, and I just pushed as hard as I could every turn. It was pretty amazing to come through the finish and see that I was quite fast. Because I could hear that the other athletes were skiing well. I thought, 'I could lose this, so I better try to ski a really good run.' And it was."
This victory marked the ninth of the season for Shiffrin.
Shiffrin will have an opportunity to keep gaining on Stenmark's record when she participates in another giant slalom event at Kronplatz on Wednesday. She'll also have a pair of slalom events in Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic on Saturday and Sunday, which is where Shiffrin made her World Cup debut in March 2011 at just 15 years old.
