For Ingemar Stenmark, all the excitement as Mikaela Shiffrin nears her record 86 World Cup wins misses the mark: the 66-year-old Swede believes the American is already on another level.
“She’s much better than I was. You can’t compare, Stenmark said in an interview with The Associated Press. She has everything. She has the physical strength, the technique, a good head. I think it’s this set that makes it so good. I’m also impressed that she can win in slalom, super-G and downhill. I could never have been so good in all disciplines. »
Stenmark’s 86 victories in the 1970s and 1980s were all in slalom (40) and giant slalom (46). While the majority of Shiffrin’s 85 victories have come from these two disciplines – 52 in slalom, 19 in giant slalom and five in parallel – she also scored five victories in super-G, three in downhill and one in the combined.
One of Shiffrin’s three silver medals at the last Worlds was won in the super-G.
Stenmark knows all of these stats well, as he enjoys following Shiffrin’s runs.
“I watch almost all of them,” he said from his home in suburban Stockholm last week. To become such a good skier, you have to love skiing. She has a good touch of snow, she feels the conditions well and can adapt to anything that comes her way. »
PHOTO ARMANDO TROVATI, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
Ingemar Stenmark
Shiffrin returns to competition this weekend, in Kvitfjell, Norway, where she is scheduled to compete in two super-Gs and a downhill. She will then take part in the giant slalom and slalom in Are, Sweden, on March 10-11.
Should Shiffrin ever be about to break his record in Are, Stenmark says he won’t be attending in person.
“It would be inappropriate to go celebrate with Shiffrin,” he said, especially since the Swedish team has plenty of good competitors, like Olympic giant slalom champion Sara Hector.
Shiffrin won her first World Cup event in Are in December 2012. She has six victories there in all, including two at the 2019 Worlds.
“I was told she liked Sweden, but maybe she likes Norway more now that she has a Norwegian boyfriend,” Stenmark said of Aleksander Aamodt Kilde. He and Shiffrin have been dating for several years.
One thing is certain, the respect is mutual between Stenmark and Shiffrin.
“Her name is more than her stats,” said the 27-year-old skier. He is a skiing legend. Regardless of my accomplishments, we could debate for a long time who is the best in history. […] People will continue to remember his name forever. »
Stenmark and Shiffrin had very different times. The American has access to many more races and disciplines than Stenmark. There have also been huge technical advances in equipment.
“The only thing I wish I had were parabolic skis,” he said of the hourglass-shaped skis that make turns less difficult. I think skiing today is easier, but winning is harder because of the higher plateau. A tiny mistake can make victory less attainable. »
Stenmark believes Shiffrin’s record will be vastly superior to his own.
“I think she can win over 100 races. It depends on how many years she will continue to ski, but 100, that’s for sure. »