Mikaela Shiffren has become the winningest alpine ski racer in history when she equalled and then passed the great Swedish skier Ingemar Stenmark.

Competing in the giant slalom at Are resort in Sweden on Friday, Shiffren equalled the 86 victories of Stenmark, and the following day passed it as she won the slalom and the 87th race of her World Cup career.

Stenmark was one of the all-time greats when he dominated in the 1970s and '80s and his record stood for 34 years. After the race the Swedish legend said he could not be happier.

“She deserves the record more than anyone else,” Ingemar Stenmark told FIS. It’s just fun. She is a great skier and seems to be a very sympathetic person. So, I just think its nice for her.” He also thinks Shiffren will go on to win 100 races.

Shiffrin who has 799k followers on social media has been a dynamo since she first arrived on the World Cup podium, accumulating victories at a rapid rate. It was only fitting that she passed the great Ingemar Stenmark at Are, where she captured her first World Cup race in 2012 and also World Championship slalom gold in 2019.

“It is the greatest honor of my career to be mentioned in the same sentence as Ingemar Stenmark. Incomprehensible and truly unforgettable,” said Shiffren on her Facebook page.

This season she has also captured the Crystal Globe overall in both slalom and giant slalom. "It's pretty hard to describe, and it's not over yet, which is even more ridiculous," said Shiffrin who at 28 still has a long career in front of her if she desires. She will most likely attend the 2026 Winter Olympic games in Italy.

Shiffrin achieved the record after competing for 13 seasons on the World Cup circuit, having started her first event as a 15 year-old in the Czech Republic in 2010/11.

Commenting after her record setting race, Shiffren said, “I am so proud of the skiing I did both runs today. I am so proud of the team this whole season, every step of the way being strong and focused and positive and having the right goals and helping me manage my own focus and the distractions as well, it’s been incredible.”

Shiffrin has finished on the podium 17 times at the Olympic Games and World Championships, with two golds and a silver at the Olympic Winter games and seven golds, four silvers, and three bronzes at World Championship events throughout her career.

From her 13 seasons of alpine racing, Shiffrin has won five overall Crystal Globes and ten discipline titles (seven in slalom, two in giant slalom, one in super-G). Her seven slalom titles is an all-time record in one discipline.

She celebrated her 28th birthday in Andorra on Monday, just days after setting the new benchmark.