As the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics draw nearer, American alpine skiing superstar Mikaela Shiffrin has opened up about what truly fuels her remarkable career, emphasizing that victories and podiums are secondary to chasing her ideal performance on the slopes.
The 30-year-old, who holds an unprecedented 106 World Cup wins, featured in a recent U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team promotional video documenting her 2025/26 season. In the voiceover, Shiffrin explained that her drive stems from a relentless quest to match—or surpass—the mental image she has of her peak skiing form.8196e6
Mikaela Shiffrin wins fifth World Cup slalom race in 2026 season
“I want to improve. There’s an image I have of my best skiing, and I want to get better than that. It’s all very repetitive and monotonous, and that’s the name of the game,” Shiffrin shared.
She added that the ultimate thrill comes when her physical execution perfectly aligns with her internal sensation: “I’m just trying to connect my feeling with what I’m actually doing as close as I can. And when those two things match completely, that’s the best I’ve ever skied. That’s the most incredible feeling.”
Shiffrin, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, skyrocketed to fame early in her career and cemented her legacy by eclipsing Ingemar Stenmark’s long-standing record of 86 World Cup victories. Despite a challenging previous season that included an abdominal injury forcing her to miss 11 races, she pushed past the 100-win milestone and has maintained strong form into the current campaign.
Currently leading both the slalom and overall World Cup standings, Shiffrin heads to Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, this weekend (January 3-4) for giant slalom and slalom events. She aims to extend her unbeaten slalom streak to six races this season on a course where her results have been mixed in recent years.c6f15a,e69967
Reflecting on her recent slalom triumph in Semmering, Austria—where difficult, salted conditions affected many competitors—Shiffrin called for better collaboration among athletes, coaches, and governing bodies to prioritize safety.
With her record-breaking achievements already secure, Shiffrin’s insights reveal a deeper, process-oriented mindset as she builds toward the Olympics next month.
