Mar 20, 2023 - Sports

Mikaela Shiffrin's secret weapon

Kendall Baker

mikaela shiffrin with trophy — Photo: Alain Grosclaude/Agence Zoom/Getty Images

A week after becoming the most successful ski racer in Alpine World Cup history, Mikaela Shiffrin extended her lead, capping her record-setting season on Sunday with career win No. 88.

Between the lines: Every all-time great has a superpower. For Shiffrin, it's her ability to stay healthy — something virtually every other prominent ski racer this century has failed to do. Her secret? A trait not typically associated with elite athletes: caution.

What they're saying: "Avoiding injuries is at least 80% skill," two-time gold medalist Ted Ligety told NYT. "[Mikaela] doesn't put herself in risky positions and when she makes a rare mistake she's so good technically she escapes without a bad fall."

"She rarely skis at 100% ... more like 80%," added Shiffrin's mom, Eileen, who coaches and travels with her. "She's very calculated that way."
"I never want to be surprised on skis," said Mikaela, whose only serious injury in her 13-year career has been a torn MCL in 2015 that cost her two months.

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Mikaela Shiffrin's secret weapon

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