Coco Gauff congratulates alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin for record-breaking 87th World Cup win in Sweden
American tennis star Coco Gauff has congratulated fellow American and alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin on winning a record 87th World Cup title, making her the most decorated skier of all time.
Shiffrin, won her 87th World Cup race in Are, Sweden in one minute and 41.77 seconds in the slalom format (racing between two poles) on Saturday. The American edged past Switzerland’s Wendy Holdener by 0.92 seconds.
By doing so, Shiffrin surpassed Swedish skiing legend Ingemar Stenmark and his 86 World Cup titles. Her win marked the sixth slalom win of the season and 53rd of her career.
Shiffrin, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, also holds the record for winning 20 giant slalom races, five super-G wins, five in parallel format, three wins in the downhill format and one win in the combined format as well.
The 27-year-old's achievement has incited congratulatory reactions from athletes across all sports. American tennis star Coco Gauff also took to her Instagram stories to appreciate her compatriot's historic triumph.
"SIMPLY AMAZING @MIKAELASHIFFRIN," Gauff captioned the story.
Coco Gauff into the third round of Indian Wells Open
Meanwhile, American teen sensation Coco Gauff had a successful outing of her own on Friday, entering the Round of 32 at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
The 18-year-old cruised past Spain's Cristina Bucsa in the second-round clash 6-2, 6-4. Gauff will now face Linda Noskova on Sunday, the first time the pair will face off against each other at a tournament.
Gauff is competing at the BNP Paribas Open in doubles as well with compatriot Jessica Pegula. The second-seeded pair have entered the Round of 16, taking down the Czech pair of Marketa Vondrousova and Miriam Kolodziejova in straight sets 7-6(5), 6-2 in their tournament opener.
The American players have proved to be a strong doubles pairing, as they won the Qatar Total Energies Open this year to successfully defend their title. The pair defeated Lyudmyla Kichenok and Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 2-6, 10-7 to clinch the title in Doha.
In August last year, the pair won the National Bank Open in Toronto, a WTA 1000 event, by defeating American Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Australian Ellen Perez 6-4, 6-7(5), 10-5 in the title round. The pair soared in the rankings as a result, with Gauff reaching World No. 1 and Pegula reaching World No. 3 positions.