"It's gonna be a wild ride" - Mikaela Shiffrin on message to younger self after 100th World Cup win

Mikaela Shiffrin penned a note to her younger self shortly after she won her 100th World Cup race win in a slalom in Sestriere. Shiffrin was fresh off taking the pole podium in the team combined event with Breezy Johnson at the World Championships.

Mikaela Shiffrin was sidelined from the 2024/25 World Cup circuit after suffering a crash in the giant slalom in Killington on November 30, 2024. After that, she underwent a surgery to pull out an old hematoma from a deeper cavity, followed by days of rehabilitation and supporting fellow athletes from the comfort of her home. She returned to the World Championships slopes, paired with childhood friend Breezy Johnson, and clinched her record 15th Worlds win.

She took the slalom slopes on February 23 and reached the century mark in World Cup race wins. Amid receiving love from fans, and major personalities, she got a special laud from the official account of Threads, which posted a throwback skiing picture of the most decorated athelete.

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When asked whether she would like to say anything to her little self, Shiffrin said:

"Never give up…. It’s gonna be a wild ride… And also, the next time you cut your own bangs it’s going to turn out better ;)

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Mikaela Shiffrin opened up on the battles she went through before returning to skiing

Mikaela Shiffrin looks on at the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup - Women's Slalom - (Source: Getty)

Mikaela Shiffrin had a good start to the 2024/25 season but succumbing to an injury cost her several podiums. Sitting out of competitions for two months, the Olympic gold medalist had to fight through mental and physical battles and return to competitive skiing. Reflecting on the persistent difficulty to make her muscles work, she said:

"It’s been such a constant grind to get my muscles back to a functioning place. In the context of ski racing, the obliques, internal and external, are some of the most important muscles that we have. Besides our legs, it’s some of the most important parts of the body. … It’s been a really, really big, very steep uphill battle just to get back to skiing.” (via CNN)

In Saalbach, she raced in the team combined but ruled herself out of the giant slalom line-up. The 28-year-old struggled with her form in giant slalom, failing to qualify for her second run in Sestriere, Italy on February 22. She clocked 1:05.73 to finish 33rd in her first run, which marked her second DNQ since October 2012. Reflecting on that, she said:

"When we got over here (Europe) and I started to really get into the intensity with giant slalom, there’s this kind of mind-body disconnect. I’m telling myself to do certain technical moves and it’s just not happening."

Mikaela Shiffrin's latest slalom win in Sestriere extended her slalom win tally to 62, the most by an alpine skier in the discipline.