Ingemar Stenmark still holds the record for the most World Cup victories by an alpine skier.
The Swede won 86 races between 1974 and 1989, and many thought his record would stand forever.
That’s until Mikaela Shiffrin started taking the world by storm.
One might think that Stenmark would be loud and proud about his career, but he was anything but in a recent interview by the AP.
Check out the quick clip of the interview below:
Ingemar Stenmark shares what impresses him about American skier Mikaela Shiffrin, who is on the cusp of breaking his record of 86 World Cup wins.
More from @AndrewDampf: https://t.co/666qGfI20Z pic.twitter.com/hQ5MSByaAq
— AP Sports (@AP_Sports) February 27, 2023
Shiffrin has the most World Cup wins by a woman alpine skier with 85 wins and needs just one more to tie Stenmark’s record.
I was pleased to hear Stenmark rave about Shiffrin and how he expects her to not only break his record, but to hit 100 wins- a feat that would seem impossible for anybody else to ever accomplish.
Stenmark went on to praise Shiffrin’s skills as a complete skier.
For context, Stenmark won all of his races in Slalom and Giant Slalom events. He recognizes how impressive it is that Shiffrin can do it all:
Via Associated Press:
“She’s much better than I was. You cannot compare,” Stenmark said in an interview with The Associated Press. “She has everything. She has good physical strength, she has a good technique, strong head. I think it’s the combination of everything makes her so good. And I’m also impressed that she can ski good both in slalom and in super-G and downhill also.
Here’s hoping Shiffrin wins a billion more races.
As an American, I want her record to stand forever.
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