Mikaela Shiffrin breaks World Cup record with slalom victory

US ski star Mikaela Shiffrin became the first person to claim 15 World Cup wins in a single season with a slalom victory on Saturday.

The American shared the previous record with Vreni Schneider but moved ahead of the Swiss great after a trademark performance in the Czech Republic.

Despite poor conditions delaying the start of the slalom, the superstar was in imperious form and topped the standings by 0.37 seconds after her first run.

She was then able to put together an equally blistering second run – finishing 0.85 seconds ahead of the field to record her 58th World Cup win in total.

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Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates her opening slalom run despite the poor conditions.

READ: Shiffrin celebrates overall ‘three-peat’ from hotel room

The 23-year-old was initially frustrated in her attempt to break the record during the giant slalom Friday, finishing third behind Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova, but her disappointment was short lived.

“Yesterday in the second run I was pushing really hard,” Shiffrin said after claiming the win. “It was enough to get on the podium and I was really happy about that, but felt disappointment from the first.

“So today I wanted to not protect something, ski with risks, ski to fight, and see what was possible. And it was really fun to ski both runs.”

American skier Mikaela Shiffrin is arguably the most dominant athlete in sport right now. The 24-year-old has taken skiing by storm, winning 17 World Cup races across four of the six disciplines last season to take her overall tally to 60 victories. Here's a look back at her short but sweet career so far.

2011 —

Shiffrin grew up skiing from an early age thanks to parents who were both competitive college skiers. She rose quickly through the junior ranks and joined the World Cup circuit two days before her 16th birthday in 2011.

2011 —

The American (right) secured her first World Cup medal in December 2011, winning a bronze in the slalom. Her potential didn't go unnoticed as she was named rookie of the year.

2012 —

Shiffrin lived up to her hype during the following season, winning her first World Cup slalom event in Lienz, Austria.

2013 —

The youngster continued her good form, winning a further three World Cup slalom races that season. She also struck slalom gold at the 2013 World Championships in Schladming, Austria.

2013 —

She ended a remarkable season with a first World Cup slalom crown, which she defended the following year.

2014 —

As world champion, the pressure was on the 18-year-old to perform at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. She didn't disappoint. Shiffrin became the youngest ever Olympic slalom champion and the first American to win the title in 42 years.

2015 —

Following her Olympic success, the American won her third straight World Cup slalom crown in 2015. She also defended her slalom title at the 2015 World Championships.

2016 —

A knee injury stalled her career the following season and she had to settle for fourth in the slalom standings.

2017 —

Shiffrin was back to her best in 2017, though, winning a fifth slalom World Cup title and adding a third World Championship gold. She also won her first overall World Cup title.

2018 —

As her reputation grew, so did her popularity and all eyes were on Shiffrin to perform at the 2018 Winter Olympics. She was affected by the weather-hit schedule and despite winning gold in the giant slalom and silver in the combined she missed out completely in slalom. But she won the World Cup overall and slalom titles again at the end of the season to confirm her status as America's new superstar.

Shiffrin has been on fire during the 2018-19 season and has made waves beyond ski racing for her level of consistency and domination. She has climbed to fifth on the list off all-time most successful ski racers, and third woman behind Lindsey Vonn and Annemarie Moser-Proll.

At the 2019 FIS World Championships in Are, Sweden she struck in the opening super-G race to score her fourth world title.

And she clinched a remarkable fourth straight slalom world title -- a streak stretching back to 2013 -- to go with a bronze in the giant slalom in Sweden.

Following the World Championships, Shiffrin won a World Cup slalom event in Stockholm to score a record-equaling 14th title of the season. She also wrapped up a third straight season slalom crown and sixth in seven years. She clinched a third straight overall crown when racing was canceled in Sochi.

Soon after she pushed the record to 15 wins - unprecedented for men or women -- with a slalom victory (her 58th) in the Czech Republic.

At the World Cup finals in Soldeu, Andorra in March, Shiffrin wrapped up a third Crystal Globe of 2019 with a first season title in the super-G.

Mikaela Shiffrin: The most dominant sportswoman on the planet?

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READ: Shiffrin ‘in a league of her own,’ says Lindsey Vonn

Shiffrin is arguably the most dominant athlete in sport at present. She has already clinched the overall Crystal Globe and has wrapped up a third consecutive World Cup slalom title, her sixth in total.

She also clinched her fourth consecutive slalom world title in Sweden last month alongside gold in super-G and bronze in giant slalom.

If that wasn’t enough, the American looks almost certain to claim her first giant slalom season crown at the World Cup finals in Andorra next week.