"This is an emotional victory for me" - Mikaela Shiffrin on 94th World Cup win just days after boyfriend Aleksander Kilde's crash

Mikaela Shiffrin has further cemented her status as one of the best skiers to have ever graced the slopes with her 94th World Cup victory. Racing in Flachau, Austria, the road to the top of the podium was bumpy for the American, as just days ago her boyfriend and fellow skier Aleksander Kilde had suffered a major crash while racing at the Lauberhorn World Cup downhill in Wengen, Switzerland.

Kilde was airlifted off the mountain and hospitalized to be treated for a severe laceration on his calf and a dislocated right shoulder. Naturally, Mikaela Shiffrin raced to be by his side, before reluctantly heading to Austria only three days later for her race.

Speaking to reporters (h/t SkiMag) after the race, the 28-year-old described her win as emotional, saying,

“This is a really emotional win for me. I don’t know, the last three days, it feels like I’ve lived a lifetime. Actually right now, I just want to call Aleks. I’ll be quick with these [TV interviews], then maybe I can call him before the awards. He should be trying to get to sleep soon. I just want to check in on him.”

For Shiffrin, once she made the decision to race, there was no turning back. The fact that she was here on the slopes meant that she was going to give it her all.

“I either could be with Alex right now, or I could come race. And I thought if I come race, then nothing to lose, you know. It’s one of those evenings that you just feel like now we push, don’t leave something on the hill, don’t leave something to chance because otherwise I should just be with him instead.”

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Mikaela Shiffrin ties Ingemar Stenmark's record in Austria

For Mikaela Shiffrin, this isn't just another win. Her making it to the top of the podium in Australia ties her with Swedish legend Ingemar Stenmark's record of 81 slalom podiums.

Stenmark, who dominated the sport through the late 70s and early 80, is widely considered to be the greatest slalom specialist of all time. Not only has Shiffrin now tied the 67-year-old's record, her race in Flachau was her 148th career podium, inching her closer to the Swede’s record of 155 World Cup podiums across all events.

For the American, the race was a close battle with Slovakian Petra Vlhová. The latter took the lead in the first run by 0.07 seconds, while Shiffrin won the next run with less than three-tenths of a second between the two.

Speaking on her victory, Mikaela Shiffrin said, via the aforementioned source:

“There were some things that were not perfect for her, like she [Petra Vlhova] caught a gate. I had a mistake at the top. We were both pushing to our limit. Three tenths is nothing, but I am thankful for that tonight.”

“It’s a pretty special time in ski racing. I’m really grateful to have a career where I was able to race against multiple of the greatest of all time. It’s not always easy, but it’s special,” she added.