(Reuters) – Mikaela Shiffrin could give herself an early birthday present this weekend by breaking Ingemar Stenmark’s all-time record of 86 World Cup wins on the Swedish great’s home snow.
The American skier, who will turn 28 next Monday, has a good chance to equal the record on Friday in a giant slalom in Are, the Swedish resort where she took her first win in December 2012.
If the five times overall World Cup champion does that, then the first chance to break the record will be a slalom on Saturday.
The giant slalom and slalom are Shiffrin’s favourite disciplines — with 52 slaloms and 19 giants in her current tally of 85 World Cup wins.
Whereas Stenmark’s success in the 1970s and 80s was limited to slalom and giant slalom, Shiffrin has also won in downhill, super-G, combined and parallel.
Friday’s race comes just over three weeks since the American won giant slalom gold at the world championships in Meribel, France.
She is also a previous Olympic champion in both slalom and giant.
Shiffrin has competed in three speed races since the championships, with a best result of fourth in a super-G in Kvitfjell, Norway.
She took her 85th win on Jan. 28 in the Czech resort of Spindleruv Mlyn and clinched her fifth overall World Cup globe in Kvitfjell.
She broke compatriot Lindsey Vonn’s women’s record of 82 World Cup wins in January.
Should she fail to equal the all-time record in Sweden, Shiffrin still has the World Cup finals in Soldeu, Andorra, on March 15-19.
“It (equalling and then over-taking the record) might not happen this season but I think I am skiing well enough that it could. It’s a pretty amazing position to be in,” Shiffrin said in Kvitfjell.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Toby Davis)
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