“She’s much better than I was,” Ingemar Stenmark once praised Mikaela Shiffrin for ‘writing her own beautiful story’

Ingemar Stenmark boldly states Mikaela Shiffrin is "much better than I was" in skiing, and she'll only continue to rise higher in the upcoming days.

“She’s much better than I was,” Ingemar Stenmark once praised Mikaela Shiffrin for ‘writing her own beautiful story’

Mikaela Shiffrin with Ingemar Stenmark [Image Credit: Imago/TV2 tv-guide]

Mikaela Shiffrin is really capturing the world of skiing by storm. She has often been compared to the legend Ingemar Stenmark, the most decorated skier of all time. Stenmark once spoke about the youngster, and how she surpassed him in World Cup wins. The Swedish legend has shared his admiration for the new American star after she passed his 34-year long-standing record.

Stenmark, who has been an integral part of the sport, said that she doesn’t even “need to be at 100% to win a race” as she’s such a strong person mentally. He praised her saying “She’s a fantastic skier” and for “writing her own new beautiful story” with continuous Cup wins. During his prime, he dominated the 1970s and the 1980s, winning over 86 titles in his career.

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According to Stenmark, loving the sport plays the most crucial part in being better at it. He admires Shiffrin who loves to ski and is interested in getting better despite proving to be one of the best skiers out there in the world.

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Ingemar Stenmark highly praises Mikaela Shiffrin for being “better than I was” at skiing

“She’s much better than I was, you cannot compare,” said Ingemar Stenmark. He said “It’s the combination of everything” that makes her so good at what she does. He was extremely impressed with her techniques and her prowess through the speed events. He said he “carefully avoided those races” as he “couldn’t feel at ease.”

Ingemar Stenmark and Mikaela Shiffrin [Image Credit: King Goya/The Guardian]
Ingemar Stenmark and Mikaela Shiffrin [Image Credit: King Goya/The Guardian]

Stenmark recalled training in Italy, Val Senales “and I woke up at the hospital…I didn’t have the inner motivation,” he confessed. He praised Mikaela Shiffrin as “a complete skier, an all-rounder” as she already competed in Super G and downhill races.

Shiffrin has now also far surpassed Stenmark’s record of 86 races and has broken it. However, he does not feel bad about losing the record to a talented person such as Shriffin. Rather he is proud of her as a fellow athlete and skier.

Stenmark proudly remarked that 4-years ago he already “predicted Mikaela would win 100 races“. Now fans are waiting to witness the historic moment when Shiffrin wins 100 races in her career. She already with 94 World Cup wins and is waiting to recuperate from her recent injury after a crash while skiing in the World Cup.

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