Mikaela Shiffrin’s extraordinary career has redefined what’s possible in alpine skiing, and one of the sport’s most respected voices is calling it exactly that.
Steve Porino, the veteran NBC broadcaster and former U.S. Ski Team downhill racer, recently summed up Shiffrin’s achievement with a powerful line: “She did the impossible then kept going.”
The comment highlights Shiffrin’s milestone of reaching—and then surpassing—100 career FIS Alpine World Cup victories, a feat that shattered Ingemar Stenmark’s long-standing record of 86 wins (previously the all-time high for any skier, male or female). Shiffrin hit her 100th win in late 2024 during a home-soil push at Killington, Vermont, and has since added more, pushing her total past 108 as of early 2026. Her dominance is especially pronounced in slalom, where she holds the record with over 70 victories and multiple Crystal Globes.
Porino, who has covered World Cup races for decades and provided commentary during Shiffrin’s chase for history (including NBC/Peacock broadcasts of key events), emphasized not just the breakthrough but the sustained excellence that followed. Achieving 100 wins was once considered near-impossible in the grueling, injury-prone world of elite alpine racing—yet Shiffrin didn’t stop there. She continued racking up podiums, discipline titles, and overall World Cup glory, all while maintaining technical precision and mental resilience.
As a former racer turned analyst, Porino has unique perspective: he’s seen legends like Lindsey Vonn and Bode Miller up close, but Shiffrin’s consistency and longevity stand apart. His praise aligns with other tributes, including her head coach Karin Harjo dubbing her “the Michael Jordan of Alpine skiing” for breaking every major record.
With the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics approaching (opening February 6), Shiffrin remains a centerpiece for Team USA, chasing more hardware in what could be another chapter of her legendary run. Porino’s words capture the essence: she didn’t just reach the summit—she built a new one and kept climbing.
Shiffrin’s journey continues to inspire, proving that in alpine skiing, the “impossible” is just a starting point.
