Mikaela Shiffrin did not hide her tears after the victory in Flachau

Alpine skiing superstar Mikaela Shiffrin couldn’t hold back her tears after her 57th World Cup slalom victory in Flachau, Austria.

The American missed the weekend races in Altenmarkt-Zauchensee while recovering from a cold, then made an unscheduled trip to Switzerland to visit her friend Aleksander Aamodt Kilde in hospital after his downhill crash in Wengen on Saturday.

Mikaela Shiffrin showed mental toughness in Flachau, finishing second in the first run, but in the second she was able to beat arch-rival Petra Vlhova (Slovakia) to win her record 94th World Cup race.

“I’m really proud of tonight and I’m very thankful to my whole team”, said Mikaela Shiffrin as she fought back tears in the finish area moments after the race. “These last few days have been very challenging. Everyone in my team has been so supportive and helped me go and see Alex. It’s really emotional now. The last three days feel like they’re endless”, added she.

With his fifth victory in Flachau, Mikaela Shiffrin improved her record 57th World Cup slalom victory and tied Ingemar Stenmark (Sweden) for the 81st slalom podium.