Mikaela Shiffrin became the second skier to win an ESPY for best athlete in women’s sports, earning the award after a 14-win World Cup season.
“Through failure and through success, it’s been a long journey, and it’s not over yet,” the 28-year-old said. “This season was absolutely incredible, and there was a lot of talk about records. It got me thinking, ‘Why is a record actually important?’ And I just feel like it’s not important to break records or reset records. It’s important to set the tone for the next generation to inspire them.”
Shiffrin, who reached 88 career World Cup victories to break Swede Ingemar Stenmark’s record, won the award over nominees including soccer player Sophia Smith, tennis player Iga Swiatek and basketball player A’ja Wilson.
The only other skier to win a best athlete ESPY was Lindsey Vonn in 2010 and 2011.
