Mikaela Shiffrin, the greatest alpine ski racer in history, and downhill skier Aleksander Aamodt Kilde are one beloved alpine skiing couple. Kilde set a record for himself in a single campaign last season with a career-high eight victories. Despite a podium miss followed by an injury this World Cup season, Shiffrin set the stage for her continued dominance. Her 89th title got the conversation around her 100-win milestone going while some believe it’s still up in the air.
On social media, the celebration of Mikaela’s victory took center stage, although Kilde’s winning run was temporarily interrupted this season. Surprising in her note of gratitude, she added the romantic spark to her note.
Mikaela Shiffrin gives a shoutout to her alpine skiing cheerleader
The skiing pair are engrossed in their individual World Cup schedules, separated by distance. While Shiffrin was racing her slalom competition in Levi, Finland, Kilde’s downhill race in Zermatt-Cervinia, on the border between Switzerland and Italy, was canceled earlier on Saturday. After taking first place in her specialty slalom race, Mikaela shared an Instagram post with a picture kissing the reindeer.
The picture with her coveted reindeer was particularly funny since the creature stood at a close distance with eyes wide open, almost hinting to a shy-awkward kissing moment. The kiss had her remembering her boyfriend Kilde as she wrote, “Thank goodness Aleks doesn’t look at me like this when I try to kiss him…” These reindeers, which are traditional rewards in the area, live on a nearby Finnish farm. Interestingly, since 2016, only she and Vlhova have won the customary season-opening slalom.
The 2-time Olympic victor glided steadily towards her 100th win with an astounding speed of 1:51.68 seconds. Croatia’s Leona Popovic stood second followed by Lena Duerr of Germany. This also marked her 139th podium finish. It was not only her seventh in Levi, but it also brought her a special prize: a seventh reindeer, which is traditionally given to the champion in Finnish Lapland. While this was a special moment for the alpine skier,
The special podium finish moment for Mikaela Shiffrin
While there is a lot to talk about having a common sport, sometimes the brownie points come in post-race interview kisses. When Mikaela capped off an incredible season with a thrilling 88th World Cup victory in the giant slalom in Andorra a proclamation of love came from Kilde who took her interview. He asked, “Mikaela Shiffrin, what a race what a day, how do you feel?” Giggling and blushing, she replied, “I feel okay, this is amazing,” looking at her man in a new role.
It was her 21st giant slalom win which broke a long-standing record that Vreni Schneider had held. She also broke Lindsey Vonn’s record of 137 podium finishes, marking her 138th appearance on a World Cup podium. Being her cheerleader and admirer many times, Kilde says: “She gives me a lot of inspiration.” The Norwegian clarifies, giving insight into why his girlfriend acts as a source of motivation for him: “She works the hardest than all of us… and that makes me also want to give it a little extra.”
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