Mikaela Shiffrin Thinks This Past Season Was Her "Greatest" Yet

Lillehammer, Norway: The undisputed GOAT of ski racing just got greater.

Mikaela Shiffrin clinched her sixth overall World Cup title when U.S. Ski Team teammate A.J. Hurt was unable to pass her in the second run of a giant slalom, meaning that a 15th-place or better finish was guaranteed, accompanied by enough points to secure the large Crystal Globe.

The 31-year-old Colorado racer appeared almost in disbelief and dropped to her knees in the finish area. “It’s quite emotional. I always put the overall globe as the big, big goal,” Shiffrin said, in the Hafjell finish area. “I’m also coming to a point in my career where it might not happen again. I’m not taking this for granted right now.”

The newly crowned 2025-26 champion ultimately finished 11th in the GS finale at Hafjell Ski Area, in Norway, on Wednesday. The U.S. ski racing legend staved off a late-season surge from her nearest challenger, German Emma Aicher. The 22-year-old rising star, born in Sweden, created drama and excitement, valiantly pushing Shiffrin to the season finale.

“Emma is so strong, a very stable and very solid skier,” Shiffrin said.

“It's a really cool mix of emotions to have this battle until the last race.” 

Shiffrin’s sixth overall title claimed at the four-event World Cup Finals contested in Norway equals the all-time record held by Austrian legend Annemarie Moser-Pröll, who captured her six large globes between 1971 and 1979, including five consecutive.

“It's been an incredible season, consistent, and at a really high level, a testament to the work that my team has done producing the quality of training, mentality, and motivation that we take together to every location and every race,” Shiffrin said.

110th Slalom Win Almost Clinched Globe

The Colorado ski racer virtually locked up the overall title on Tuesday, charging to a slalom victory for a record ninth time this season by a staggering 1.32 seconds. It was textbook Shiffrin, executing turns quickly, smoothly, and precisely, in tricky, soft snow conditions. 

Her sheer dominance in the discipline is clearly evident as she has won races by more than 1.2 seconds seven times in her favorite discipline. But the young and determined Aicher hung tough, finishing third, 1.36 seconds behind Shiffrin, to keep her title chances alive, albeit barely.

But, like intrepid Norwegians out at sea on a salmon fishing boat, Shiffrin got the job done. She admitted there were nerves, but she was navigating familiar waters. Mikaela concludes the 2025-26 season with 1,410 World Cup points, 87 more than Aicher.

For Shiffrin, it was her record-extending 110th World Cup victory and 73rd in slalom.

She also hoisted her ninth slalom small Crystal Globe, breaking her own record, having already clinched the title at Spindleruv Mlyn, Czechia, on January 25, prior to the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.

With six overall World Cup titles, nine slalom titles, two in giant slalom, and one super-G, Shiffrin has now amassed 18 titles spanning an illustrious 15-year career on the U.S. Ski Team. 

The two latest titles are an exclamation point on Shiffrin’s stellar season — rebounding from a crash and abdominal puncture wound at Killington, Vermont, in late November 2024, sidelining her, while abruptly ending her overall titles chances — highlighted by her second Olympic slalom gold medal in Cortina d’Ampezzo, just over one month ago.

“Over these last two seasons, considering the injuries, Regan (Dewhirst), my physical therapist, made it possible for me to get my body strong again so that I even had a shot at this,” Shiffrin said.

A Battle at World Cup Finals

Entering the four-race World Cup Finals in Norway, Shiffrin held a 140-point advantage over Aicher, but didn’t compete in the opening women’s downhill in Kvitfjell. Aicher finished fifth, closing the gap in the two-contender battle.

The Stifel U.S. Ski Team racer took to the Olympiabakken course in super-G, attempting to counter Aicher’s charge, but had a mistake-filled run down the 1994 Olympic course and could manage no better than 22nd, failing to earn any points. Aicher crossed the line in fourth, applying additional pressure on Shiffrin, headed into the two technical events at the Hafjell venue.

“I had a pretty good idea of what the numbers are and what would happen if in this scenario today, if I didn't finish,” Shiffrin said, after winning Tuesday’s slalom. “I felt it was possible that Emma could take the lead in the standings after Kvitfjell, so I was prepared to, not panic, but to stick with my skiing.” 

Shiffrin didn’t need to panic, and her second run on Wednesday was plenty good enough to solidify the coveted season title.

How to Improve Next Season?

Now, at age 31, with her recent birthday on March 13 and having accomplished nearly everything attainable in her sport, one may wonder whether there is still room for Shiffrin to raise her game.

“I have a lot of curiosity about how I can continue to improve in GS and Super-G, and just trying to bring back my feeling in Super-G, but also in GS. It started to click at the end of the season,” she said.

“I still have a lot of motivation and curiosity around those events, and to be honest and solemn, I think this season was the greatest level I ever skied. From a personal level, I don't think I can do better than that, which is maybe the first time in my career that I’ve said that. 

“Maybe this was my limit, but we'll see as time goes on. I tend to find a way, there’s always something.”

U.S. Ladies Win Nations Cup For the First Time in 44 Years

Led by Shiffrin’s dominant performances and nonstop achievements, in addition to Paula Moltzan’s best season ever, finishing sixth in the overall standings, the Stifel U.S. Ski Team ladies won the Nations Title Trophy. It is annually awarded to the country that accumulates the most points over an entire World Cup season.

It marked the first time since 1982 that the U.S. Women’s Alpine Ski Team achieved the honor. In a season filled with memorable races and moments, there were 11 victories (Shiffrin 9, Vonn 2), 27 podiums, and 16 women in total scored World Cup points.

“To be part of a team that’s so strong and so dominant across four events is something to really be proud of,” Moltzan said. “And to have contributed a significant amount of points, I feel good about that too.”

Nina O’Brien added: “Huge credit to Mikaela for everything she did, but then you’ve also got Paula, Breezy (Johnson), Jackie (Wiles) laying down podiums. I feel like we have good depth growing and when you see success, it hopefully encourages everyone that they’re not too far behind also.”