Mikaela Shiffrin: ‘I’d rather be hunting than hunted’ in ski career

She’s been known to vomit because of the pressure before races, but Mikaela Shiffrin has credited a change in her mentality as key to her tearing through the record books.

Shiffrin continued her dominance of women’s ski racing with an 11th win of the season in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy Sunday – a mastery of her sport that has had even double Olympic champions hailing her as from “another universe,” and made the sporting world outside skiing take notice.

But despite the constant questions, interviews and articles about records, Shiffrin has managed to quell the nerves and look beyond the expectation to focus on her racing.

“I used to feel like there was a target painted on my back and I hated that feeling because there was so much pressure,” she told CNN’s Alpine Edge in Cortina.

“I prefer to feel like I’m chasing, and I’ve somehow found a way to have that mindset, even though I’m not always the one who is chasing. I’d rather be hunting than hunted.”

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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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The 23-year-old American has won nine of her last 12 races, and her 11 wins in 18 starts this season have taken her to 54 World Cup victories – that’s more than a third of the races she’s started in.

Her overall tally leaves her one behind Swiss Vreni Schneider, who is in third on the women’s all-time list of World Cup winners.

American great Lindsey Vonn, who is set to retire later this year if not before through injury, leads the women’s standings with 82 wins, four shy of Ingemar Stenmark’s record.

Shiffrin has time on her side to amass plenty more.

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Shiffrin celebrates a third super-G win of the season.

‘Extraordinary ski racer’

At the Olympics last February, Shiffrin was talked about as capable of winning five golds, but after winning the giant slalom crown the nerves and pressure of expectation contributed to her missing a medal completely in her favored slalom event. She later grabbed a consolation silver in the combined.

This season, however, she has been a revelation. She has become the first skier – male or female – to have won 15 races in a calendar year.

And she is four wins short of the single-season record of the most wins in a season – Schneider won a record 14 races in 1988-89.

“Sometimes it’s a little bit more difficult to stay focused when everyone’s talking about records, records, records but this year’s it’s been pretty fun,” Shiffrin added. “I like to talk about it but it hasn’t become my huge distraction. I feel honored but there is no pressure.”

Even double Olympic champion Ester Ledecka, who stunned the winter sports world with twin golds in skiing’s super-G and snowboarding’s parallel giant slalom in PyeongChang 2018, is awestruck by Shiffrin’s performances this term.

“It’s hard to explain in words, you know, she’s like she’s from another universe,” Ledecka told CNN’s Alpine Edge. “She’s an extraordinary ski racer, she’s just like a robot.”

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Downhill classic —

The Lauberhorn downhill race in Wengen, Switzerland marks the start of World Cup skiing's Classic season.

Eiger sanction —

The longest running race on the calendar takes place against the backdrop of the Eiger and its infamous north face (in shadow), scene of many feats of mountaineering heroism and tragedy.

Leg-jellying —

The downhill is the longest on the circuit at about 2.85 miles and takes about two-and-a-half minutes from the start hut on the Lauberhorn mountain back into Wengen.

The course plunges back to Wengen against the backdrop of the Eiger and the mighty Monch and Jungfrau mountains in the Bernese Oberland.

Picturesque panorama —

The race was first held in 1930 and regularly attracts about 35,000 fans to the spectacular venue.

One to win —

Along with skiing's blue riband Kitzbuhel downhill the following week, Wengen is one title all racers want on their resume.

Speed trap —

Wengen is the fastest course on the World Cup circuit with speeds of up to nearly 100 miles per hour. It is also about 30 seconds longer than the tough Kitzbuhel track.

Morning commute —

Racers travel up the mountain on a rack railway from Wengen. One-way tickets are all they need.

Alpine charm —

Car-free Wengen is a mix of timber-clad chalets and 19th century hotels perched on a shelf above the Lauterbrunnen valley.

Sky's the limit —

Fighter jets from the Swiss Air Force (the "Patrouille Suisse") traditionally fly display flights during the Lauberhorn race weekend.

All change —

The mountain railway from Wengen trundles up to the small hamlet of Kleine Scheidegg in the shadow of the Eiger's north wall, from where racers disembark to get a chairlift to the Lauberhorn start.

Top of the world —

Another cog railway travels up through the heart of the Eiger to the Jungfraujoch and its observatory at the head of the vast Aletsch glacier. The summit of the Jungfrau at 4,158 meters (13,641 feet) is in the distance.

Famous features —

Wengen is a lengthy mix of tight corners, fast straights, technical turns and big jumps with famous features such as the Hundschopf, Canadian Corner, Minschkante, Kernen-S, Austrian Hole and Haneggschuss.

Leap of faith —

The huge Hundschopf jump features a blind take off through a gap between rocks and a safety net.

Record breaker —

France's Johan Clarey set the fastest speed ever recorded on the World Cup of 161.9 kph (100mph) when conditions were slick in 2013.

100% effort —

Even two-time champion Beat Feuz of Switzerland feels the physical effects of the legendary Lauberhorn at the finish.

Winning feeling —

A downhill win at Wengen is a coveted crown among ski racers. Italy's Christof Innerhofer took the honors in 2013.

Wengen's classic downhill: Skiing's oldest, longest, fastest race

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Shiffrin enjoys a commanding lead in the overall standings, 496 points ahead of her nearest challenger, Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova, and is on course for a third straight World Cup overall crown.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist will be the hot favorite to clinch a fourth straight slalom world title at the World Championships in Are, Sweden, next month.