Mikaela Shiffrin reacts to teammate Lauren Macuga debuting in Super G finals

Alpine skiing legend Mikaela Shiffrin has congratulated US teammate Lauren Macuga after the latter skied in her first Super G final at the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup 2023/24.

The women's Super G final took place on March 22nd in Saalbach, Austria and it marked Macuga's first appearance. She finished 14th after a great display of control over the slippery slopes. The 2018 Olympic champion Ester Ledecka finished first to win her first race in 2 years.

Federica Brignone and Kajsa Lie secured second and third places while Lara Gut-Behrami won the Crystal Globe with a 7th place finish. Lauren Macuga ended her campaign in 13th position in the women's Super G standings with a total of 168 points. It marked her best finish among all the disciplines at the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup 2023/24.

Mikaela Shiffrin took to Instagram to congratulate the 21-year-old and lauded her for excelling in her first season. Shiffrin wrote:

"What a season. Congratulations, Cougs! @lauren_macuga"

Mikaela Shiffrin congratulates Lauren Macuga

The winningest skier of all time also congratulated Macuga when she secured a top-5 finish a few weeks ago in the Super G race at Saalbach. She narrowly missed out on the podium by 0.11 seconds.

Macuga had entered the competition with an aim to finish in the top 30. She told U.S. Ski & Snowboard:

“When I started this season, my goals were to earn a top 20 in downhill, and a top 30 in super-G. Never did I imagine that I would sitting in the hot seat for as long as I did, let alone in the top five.”

She later received appreciation from the whole skiing community. And what better than Mikaela Shiffrin who wrote on X (formerly Twitter) :

“The train don’t stop!!! Goooo Cougs! 🤩"

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Mikaela Shiffrin wins record-tying 8th slalom title

Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Finals - Women's Slalom winner

After coming back from injury, Mikaela Shiffrin secured her 96th win at Saalbach. A week later, the 27-year-old returned to win the record-extending 97th World Cup victory that also saw her secure the slalom title.

Shiffrin led the slalom standings with 830 points to clinch a record-tying 8th slalom title. She is tied with fellow American Lindsey Vonn, who secured the same number of globes in Downhill. Austria's Marcel Hirscher and Sweden's Ingemar Stenmark have also won the same number of crystal globes.

Shiffrin expressed gratitude after the victory, adding that while the 2023/24 season had been a frustrating one with injuries, there were several memorable moments as well.