Lindsey Vonn lauds Mikaela Shiffrin on equaling her record for most Crystal Globes in a single season, gives shout out to Marcel Hirscher

Legendary skier Lindsey Vonn congratulated Mikaela Shiffrin on her 96th World Cup win at the Alpine Skiing World Cup in Are, Sweden. It also marked the young skier’s eighth season title in slalom with compatriot Lindsey Vonn in downhill and Ingemar Stenmark in giant slalom and slalom, respectively.

On March 10, Mikaela Shiffrin made headlines on winning her 96th World Cup on her comeback day after enduring a break owing to a knee injury. The 28-year-old skied an impressive 1:42.95 in the slalom to win the gold medal, leaving behind her competitors Zrinka Ljutic of Croatia by 1.24s and Switzerland’s Michelle Gisin by 1.34s.

As Shiffrin has equaled her season title with Lindsey Vonn and Ingemar Stemark, she received immense appreciation. Vonn, the 82-time World Cup winner, congratulated the skier by taking it to her X (formerly known as Twitter) handle.

She praised Shiffrin and also gave a shout-out to retired former World Cup alpine skier Marcel Hirscher, who also boasts eight consecutive World Cup titles,

“An incredible achievement!! Congrats!! @MarcelHirscher also has 8 globes, gotta give him credit too, ” wrote Lindsey Vonn.

Retired Australian skier Marcel Hirscher specializes in slalom, giant slalom, combined, and Super G. He is a two-time Olympic gold medalist in combined and giant slalom, respectively, and a silver medalist in slalom.

The 35-year-old won gold in slalom at Kranjska Gora, Slovenia in 2019, securing his eighth overall FIS World Cup title to equal Lindsey Vonn’s record of 20 titles in total.

Hirscher’s 20 crystal globes include eight overall, six giant slalom, and six slalom titles.

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Mikaela Shiffrin’s comeback story post-knee injury

Shiffrin at Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup - Women's Slalom

On January 26, 2024, Mikaela Shiffrin experienced a knee injury while skiing downhill at Cortina d’Ampezzo. The skier was then airlifted from the safety net to a nearby hospital. Following a medical examination, it turned out that Shiffrin had an MCL injury that forced her to take a break from the sport.

As a result, she had to miss out on forthcoming championships. However, after six weeks, Shiffrin made her comeback in Are, Sweden, on March 10. The skier managed to win the 96th World Cup of her career, ensuring that she was in the running to grab the slalom Crystal Globe with only one slalom race to go.

After the race, Mikaela Shiffrin expressed her happiness at her comeback and for receiving the love and support of her fans. She wrote on her X (formerly known as Twitter) handle,

"Thank you to my whole team for their patience, support, and motivation through this whole period…it could have gone a million different ways, but man I’m thankful that this is the way it went."