Mikaela Shiffrin claims historic 100th skiing World Cup win

Mikaela Shiffrin claimed a historic 100th Alpine skiing World Cup win on Sunday with victory in the slalom in the Italian resort of Sestriere.

The American, who returned to action in January after two months out with injury, finished 0.61 seconds ahead of second-placed Croatian Zrinka Ljutic.

The win means the 29-year-old is the first skier, male or female, to reach triple digits in World Cup race victories.

An emotional Shiffrin said after her win: “Today a lot of things had to go right for me, and wrong for others.

“In the end, I did something right.”

Shiffrin, the world’s most successful alpine skier, had previously spoken about her mental health struggles in returning to competition after a freak race injury.

She had been set for her 100th victory in December when leading the second leg of a giant slalom race in Killington in the United States but crashed out near the end of the run, somersaulting into the safety nets.

Shiffrin sustained a puncture wound and muscle damage to her stomach, an injury she told BBC’s Ski Sunday was “weird, gross and painful”.

She spent two months out injured but returned to racing at the end of January and won a record-equalling 15th career world championships medal in Saalbach earlier this month.

“Everybody’s been so nice and so supportive,” she added.

“All of my team-mates and competitors and coaches and the whole World Cup. I’m so grateful.”