"It’s impressive"- Mikaela Shiffrin shares honest take on extending her career after Lindsey Vonn’s comeback

American alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin has revealed whether she would like to extend her career until her 40s like Lindsey Vonn, who retired from the sport in 2019 and made her comeback last season. Shiffrin is aiming to compete at the Milan Olympics next year, where she will be gunning for her third Olympic gold medal. Vonn will also be competing at the Games, marking her final Olympic appearance.

Mikaela Shiffrin ended last season on a high note, winning her 101st World Cup race at the finals in Sun Valley, Idaho, which is the most out of any alpine skier ever. Her season almost came to a halt when she suffered an abdominal injury due to a crash at a World Cup race in Killington; however, she recovered remarkably and returned two months later.

In an interview with Olympics.com, Shiffrin discussed whether she would extend her career like Lindsey Vonn:

"I don’t see myself competing until I’m 40, but I’m certainly inspired to see the success of athletes who can compete and hold that level for such a long time - and take a step away from the sport and come back. It’s impressive, and it shows there are so many ways to do this. Sport is such a beautiful part of life. We get to do this, and that’s something to be grateful for."

She also revealed that she was undecided on whether the Milan Olympics would be her last one, saying:

"I’m not really a numbers girl. I’m so uncertain. To be honest, I don’t know. You can say 50-50."

Mikaela Shiffrin's season is set to begin on October 25th at the giant slalom in Sölden, Austria.

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Mikaela Shiffrin says she feels nervous going into the new season: "I still feel jitters"

Shiffrin at the 2025 Alpine Ski World Cup - Women's Slalom - Source: Getty

Ahead of the start of the World Cup season, Mikaela Shiffrin revealed that she still feels nervous despite competing for many years now. According to the Denver Post, Shiffrin said:

"I still feel jitters, I probably feel more nervous with each season because I know how hard it is to be really successful – and how much I want to be successful. I feel like I have better skiing to explore, so that is where my motivation is right now."

After competing in Austria this month, Mikaela Shiffrin is set to compete next at the Levi slalom in Finland on November 15th.

Edited by Harshvardhan Shankar