Mikaela Shiffrin just delivered the quote that has the entire ski world (and relationship gossip corners of the internet) absolutely losing their minds.
Moments after clinching her historic 102nd World Cup victory in Saturday’s Levi slalom, the American superstar stood on the podium at Ounaskievari Reindeer Farm cradling her traditional prize – a live reindeer – and dropped a line that instantly went viral:
“This one is extra special,” Shiffrin said with a wide smile during the post-race ceremony. “I’ve been waiting for the right moment to use my mom’s childhood nickname, and it just felt perfect today.”
The reindeer’s name? Winkie – the long-held childhood nickname of her mother and lifelong coach, Eileen Shiffrin.
Translation: after nine Levi reindeer and an engagement to Norwegian speed king Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, Mikaela finally used the adorable “Winkie” moniker… and it went to the reindeer instead of her fiancé.
Fans were quick to point out that Shiffrin has previously named reindeer after everything from Star Wars characters (Grogu) to her favorite children’s books (Lorax), but never once has she used Aleksander’s name or nickname – despite the couple being engaged since April 2024 and regularly calling each other the “GOAT” on social media.
The internet did what the internet does best:
“She’s been saving ‘Winkie’ for YEARS and gave it to the reindeer instead of Kilde 💀”
“Mikaela just friend-zoned her own fiancé with a reindeer”
“Plot twist: the reindeer is getting the childhood nickname before the future husband”
Eileen Shiffrin, clearly overwhelmed by the tribute, posted a clip of Mikaela’s winning run with the caption “This one, takes my breath away.”
As for Kilde, who is currently recovering from shoulder surgery and missed the Levi weekend, there has still been no public reaction to either the 102nd win or the fact that his fiancée just publicly admitted she’s been “waiting for the right moment” to use a very special name… and that moment was not him.
Shiffrin, now the proud owner of nine Levi reindeer (Rudolph, Sven, Mr. Gru, Ingemar, Sunny, Lorax, Grogu, Rori, and now Winkie), heads to Killington next week still wearing the engagement ring – but apparently still holding on to a few nickname cards close to her chest.
