Mikaela Shiffrin Wins Ninth Reindeer in Levi

November 25, 2025

2026 Olympic Watch: Mikaela Shiffrin Adds “Winkie” to Her Reindeer Roster – Ninth Win in Levi

Mikaela Shiffrin is already the GOAT of alpine ski racing, but now she is practically building her own Arctic herd. Over the weekend in Levi, Finland, the 30-year-old superstar blasted the field with a dominant 1.66-second slalom win, earning her 102nd World Cup victory and her ninth Finnish reindeer.

Meet Winkie

Shiffrin revealed her newest reindeer on Instagram – Winkie, named after her mother’s childhood nickname. Winkie joins Rudolph, Sven, Mr. Gru, Ingemar, Sunny, Lorax, Grogu, and Rori, all happily living at the Ounaskievari Reindeer Farm just outside Levi.

Cool Facts About Mikaela Shiffrin

• She owns nine reindeer
All earned in Levi, Finland — her newest addition is Winkie, named after her mom’s childhood nickname.

• She practices visualization daily
Shiffrin is known for intense mental prep, watching full “mind runs” before competitions.

• She speaks fluent German
She learned it early in her career to better communicate on the European circuit.

• Her playlist is fire
She prefers a mix of Taylor Swift, Logic, and electronic beats before race runs.

• She doesn’t own the reindeer
They live full-time at a Finnish farm outside Levi — she visits when she races there.

A Dominant Levi Clinic

Shiffrin opened the season with a surgical first run, more than a full second clear of 19-year-old Lara Colturi. Under Arctic twilight and artificial lights, she doubled down in run two, stretching the margin to 1.66 seconds – one of the most commanding Levi wins in recent memory.

U.S. teammate Paula Moltzan nearly stole the show with a massive climb from 19th to 4th, but the day belonged to Shiffrin. The performance added to an already unreal record:

• 65th career World Cup slalom win

• 158th career podium

• 23% career win rate across 283 World Cup starts

It is a terrifying stat sheet for anyone looking ahead to Milan-Cortina 2026.

Levi Magic + Olympic Fire

Levi, perched at 68 degrees north with roughly five hours of winter daylight, has always brought out Shiffrin’s best. Northern Lights overhead, subzero temps, and an eerie calm on the hill… it is her kind of place.

“I just love it here,” she said. “Such a nice place to start the slalom season.”

With this latest win, Shiffrin takes an early lead in the overall standings as she sets her sights on a record-tying sixth big crystal globe and another run at Olympic gold.

The 2026 Olympic Venue – Milan-Cortina Is Built for Legends

The 2026 Winter Olympics will be staged across northern Italy, with alpine skiing set on two iconic venues: Cortina d’Ampezzo and Bormio.

Shiffrin’s marquee events, slalom and giant slalom, are scheduled for Cortina d’Ampezzo, one of the most storied sites in ski racing. The same steep Dolomite terrain that hosted the 1956 Games will return to the spotlight with:

• Technical, icy slopes

• Narrow fall lines and high-consequence sections

• Classic European crowd energy stacked along the course

Shiffrin has a strong history in Cortina, making it one of the most anticipated battlegrounds of the 2026 Games.

While she is best known for her technical events, the men’s speed races will go down on Bormio’s legendary Stelvio piste, widely considered one of the most demanding and physical downhills on the planet. Its brutal reputation only adds to the mythology surrounding Milan-Cortina 2026.

The split-venue layout blends modern Italian city culture with old-school mountain prestige. Dolomite scenery, winter atmosphere, and a high-stakes Olympic stage create the perfect arena for Shiffrin to chase more hardware and cement her place even deeper in the history books.

About Mikaela Shiffrin

Two-time Olympic gold medalist and eight-time world champion Mikaela Shiffrin began turning heads almost immediately when she finished top 15 in her first two NorAm Cup races. Two weeks later she won a super combined in British Columbia, and the ski world really took notice when she landed on a World Cup podium during her rookie season at age 16. She followed that breakout with a World Championship slalom gold medal and the World Cup slalom title in her sophomore year.

In 2014 she topped her own legend-in-the-making story by earning five more World Cup wins, giant slalom podiums, an Olympic gold medal, and her second-straight slalom title. The momentum continued in 2015 when she successfully defended her World Championship slalom title on home snow in Vail-Beaver Creek and secured a third-straight slalom crystal globe.

A knee injury in 2016 briefly interrupted her rise, but not for long. After returning to the tour, she won every remaining slalom race she entered that season. By 2019, Shiffrin was regularly rewriting ski racing history, earning coverage from major mainstream outlets who labeled her the “world’s most dominant athlete,” placing her alongside icons like Serena Williams and LeBron James.

In the 2022-23 season she officially became the winningest alpine skier of all time, securing her record-breaking 87th World Cup victory in Åre, Sweden. Despite an injury in January 2024 at Cortina d’Ampezzo, she finished the 2023-24 season with nine victories and was named to the TIME 100 Most Influential People list in the Pioneer category. She then added her first ESPY Award for Best Athlete – Women’s Sports and received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Dartmouth College in 2025.

In the 2024-25 season Shiffrin made even more history, achieving her unprecedented 100th World Cup victory on February 23, 2025 in Sestriere, Italy. With her latest slalom triumph in Levi, Finland, she now holds 102 World Cup wins and has added her ninth Finnish reindeer, Winkie, to her growing Arctic herd, heading toward Milan-Cortina 2026 as the undisputed athlete to watch.