Embed from Getty Images
Though it is not uncommon to see the one and only Mikaela Shiffrin standing on the top spot of a World Cup podium, it is NOT a common sight for the young superstar to be there after a Downhill race. Earlier today in Bansko, Bulgaria, Shiffrin took her first Downhill victory since her first Downhill win at Lake Louise in 2017.

Being a Slalom specialist, the young Shiffrin commented that she was not all that confident in her abilities in this discipline, having only 11 World Cup Downhill starts on her resume. “I wasn’t confident—I was maybe even a little bit scared,” she said. “But I was like, let’s do it. It’s time to go now—let’s just try. So it was pretty exciting to come to the finish and see that it was fast.”

Using the word "fast" was indeed the correct way to describe her day. Shiffrin finished with a time of 1:29.79, securing the win. Standing in the second-place spot on the podium was Federica Brignone, just 0.18 of a second behind the leader. The Italian racer has been doing quite well herself this season, pulling a podium finish for the sixth time this season, as well as sitting in second in the overall standings. Taking the third spot in this race was Joana Haehlen of Switzerland. This finish marks her first World Cup career podium.

With this win, Mikaela Shiffrin now has 65 total World Cup victories, second only to another American skiing superstar, Lindsey Vonn, on the all-time wins list for the women. Currently, Vonn has the most victories with a total of 82. This win also extends her very comfortable lead on the overall points standings with a total of 1,075, which is 280 points ahead of Federica Brignone. As for the Downhill points standing, this win puts Shiffrin in second behind Corinne Suter of Switzerland.

A second Downhill run is scheduled at this venue for tomorrow, Saturday, January 25th. Will Shiffrin go back to back? Only time will tell, but for now, she is sitting in the fifth starting position for tomorrow's race.



Thumbnail Credit: U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team/FB