The world’s most dominant athlete at the moment is 23 years old, and getting better

At a certain point, the manner in which the best in any field evaluate themselves can’t be against other practitioners of that same pursuit. LeBron isn’t measured against his contemporaries; he’s measured against Jordan. Tiger in his prime was chasing not just Nicklaus but the limits of golf itself.

Here, then, are Mikaela Shiffrin’s eight most recent results on the World Cup Alpine ski circuit: first, first, first, first, first, fifth, first, second. The gap between Shiffrin and the skier in second place in the World Cup’s overall standings, Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova, nearly covers the gap between Vlhova and Liechtenstein’s Tina Weirather, who is in — get this — 14th.

continue reading