Mikaela Shiffrin Wins ESPY Award for Best Female Athlete

U.S. champion skier Mikaela Shiffrin was awarded the Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly (‘ESPY’) Award for Best Athlete in women’s sports on Wednesday, July 12, 2023. The most successful skier of all time was awarded the title of best female athlete at the annual award ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

In the 22/23 ski season, Shiffrin broke the long-standing record for most World Cup victories previously held by Swedish skier Ingemar Stenmark, when she won her 88th FIS World Cup.

• Related: Shiffrin Wins Giant Slalom Event at 2023 FIS World Cup Finals in Soldeu, Andorra And Smashes More Records 

Held annually, the ESPYs recognize the top sports performances and athletes of the year. Millions of viewers tuned in to celebrate the best of the best in sports and celebrated the moments that rewrote history. Shiffrin beat out three other top athletes for the award, including U.S. Women’s National Team and Portland Thorns soccer athlete Sophia Smith, Polish tennis player Iga Świątek, and Las Vegas Aces basketball player A’ja Wilson.

“It’s such a pleasure and such an honor to be part of this event. Thank you ESPN again for putting on such a great show – it’s been so great to meet everybody. I have a whole stack of people that I would have to thank for literally getting me to where I am today, through failure and through success, it’s been a long journey, and it’s not over yet. But I really have to say thank you to my family, my friends, Aleks, my brother, my sister in law who are here tonight as well, my team and coaches.This season was incredible and there was a lot of talk about records… but I was thinking, why is a record actually important? 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 and to inspire them.”
– Mikaela Shiffrin

While the skier had been nominated several times, it is the first time Shiffrin has won the ESPY award. “This ESPY award is so well deserved for Mikaela,” Sophie Goldschmidt said, U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO. “After an astonishing record-setting season, seeing her honored at this level in front of millions tuning in at home is a perfect celebration. We are so proud of her accomplishments on and off the snow, and we know that she will only continue to impress us in seasons to come.”