"One of the most impressive performances I've seen" - Mikaela Shiffrin congratulates AJ Hurt on maiden Alpine skiing World Cup podium

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin was stunned by her teammate AJ Hurt's performance at the women's World Cup slalom race during the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia. The latter achieved her first podium finish with a personal best performance.

The event, however, was a challenging one for Shiffrin as she straddled a gate and couldn't complete the first run in Kranjska Gora. Competing in snowy conditions, Mikaela Shiffrin was 47 hundredths behind Petra Vlhova at the first checkpoint, but her left ski moved to the wrong side of a gate within 24 seconds of her start.

The American was eventually unable to finish the race, but her compatriot Hurt finished third. Vlhova clinched the gold medal, while Germany's Lena Duerr came second.

Shiffrin was happy for Hurt, who secured her first-ever podium finish at a World Cup, and posted a story regarding the same, stating that the latter's performance was among the most impressive she saw in a long time.

“And now @ajhurti with her first podium! 😵🤯🥳One of the most impressive performances I’ve seen in a long time😭”

Mikaela Shiffrin's Instagram story

Post the event, Shiffrin stated that she was battling a cold during the week. In an interview, she said:

“I think I’m starting to get better now. The next couple days should be hopefully back to normal. ... Every year, everybody gets sick at one point, and this is my moment. It’ll get better. It’s going to be fine. Not so bad.”

Mikaela Shiffrin ended 2023 with her 93rd World Cup victory

Mikaela Shiffrin during the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Women's Slalom on December 29, 2023 in Lienz, Austria.

Mikaela Shiffrin, the most accomplished alpine skier in terms of World Cup wins, concluded 2023 with her 93rd World Cup triumph in Lienz, Austria. She earned the victory by a huge margin of 2.34 seconds over Germany's Lena Duerr.

In an article released by fis-ski.com, the American skier stated:

"Today was a very special day for me," Shiffrin said. "I felt perfect on the skis so I'm super happy."

On being asked whether she wished to reach the “magical” 100 World Cup victories, she responded:

"I certainly have wishes but I think in skiing, it's always just: be relentless with the work and do the job and try to enjoy it actually. In life, I just really wish for nice moments with my family and closest friends. That's pretty simple, I guess."

This was the 28-year-old’s second-most successful calendar year with 13 World Cup victories with Shiffrin equaling her performance in 2019. She had won 15 titles in 2018. With the victory, she also won her 56th slalom title. The win marked the 80th time she had finished on the podium in this particular event.