Mikaela Shiffrin is inching closer to Lindsey Vonn’s record, snagging World Cup win No. 80 in the women’s slalom Thursday in Austria.

She needs just two more wins to match Vonn’s record for women’s World Cup wins, and three more to eclipse her. Last week, Vonn called Shiffrin “the best skier that has ever lived.”

“She will break my record of World Cup wins very quickly and will become the greatest skier in history,” Vonn told a German newspaper.

That was, of course, before Shiffrin recorded a hat trick in this week’s races and earned wins No. 78, 79 and 80. Following the win, Shiffrin appeared to be speechless about reaching the milestone.

“I don’t have much to say about 80, I don’t know what to say,” she said.

Only two other skiers have recorded more World Cup wins: Vonn and Ingemar Stenmark, who had 86 career wins. No other alpine skier has recorded even 70 wins.

“I stopped wishing for things about three years ago,” Shiffrin said about possibly breaking Vonn’s record. “I am just here for the skiing, being able to do it with my teammates, and the amazing crowd and amazing people around, I couldn’t even dare to wish for that.”

It was also win No. 50 in the slalom for Shiffrin. She’s the first ski racer to amass 50 World Cup wins in a single discipline, as no other skier – male or female – has won an event more than 46 times.

“One thing that is easy to say: U.S. 1-2 in slalom, that is amazing. That is unbelievable,” Shiffrin said.

Fellow American Paula Moltzan reached her first career podium in slalom Thursday, marking the first 1-2 finish for the United States in a women’s World Cup slalom since 1971.

“Paula had a ripping run, I saw that from the start. I thought she might win this race. It’s so special to share a podium with her,” Shiffrin continued.

Moltzan said she “couldn’t be more proud of myself and the whole team” after the run.

“We made history,” she said. “We have a big team and all the girls are so fast, so it will only be days or weeks until they are really showing exactly what they can do on the hill, as well.”

As Mikaela Shiffrin nears Lindsey Vonn’s record of World Cup wins, the reigning record holder isn’t staying quiet about Shiffrin’s abilities.

“[Mikaela] is the best skier that has ever lived in my eyes,” Vonn told a German newspaper last week. “She will break my record of World Cup wins very quickly and will become the greatest skier in history.”

Shiffrin is closing in on Vonn’s record, having recorded win No. 77 a little over a week ago and win No. 78 on Tuesday. She now sits just four wins shy of tying the record and five wins away from breaking it. Vonn set the record in 2018, with 82 total victories.

Shiffrin took win No. 78 in the giant slalom, her first win in the event since December of last year.

“Very special,” Shiffrin said when asked about finally getting a win in the event. “GS is one of the hardest events for me, but also, when I’m skiing well, then it’s just amazing.”

Vonn later took to Twitter to applaud Shiffrin for the win.

Already, Shiffrin has four World Cup wins on the season. There are two more days of racing in this series, which is taking place in Austria. The last time Semmering hosted races on three consecutive days, Shiffrin won all three events.

“The start of [an event] with three races is always a bit nerve-wracking. You hope that you are on the right shape, that you can bring intensity to the start,” Shiffrin said. “From the first turn, I felt very good, I was very strong and dynamic, so I am super happy with my skiing.”

Vonn, who is an Olympic gold medalist and a four-time World Cup overall champion, said that she feels as though Shiffrin is “almost perfect” in slalom.

“She is an amazing athlete and has an almost perfect slalom technique,” she said. “She trains in a special way with a lot of repetitions.”

Mikaela Shiffrin won the super-G on Sunday, bringing her closer to the women’s World Cup record set by former teammate and fellow American Lindsey Vonn.

The win brought her career total to 77 race wins. Vonn set the record in 2018, with 82 total victories.

Shiffrin began the weekend by finishing sixth and fourth in two downhills before winning the super-G. She finished 0.12 seconds ahead of Elena Curtoni, who won the downhill on Friday.

“I feel really quite happy for this whole weekend and maybe try to take some of that with the slalom and GS as well,” said Shiffrin. “I felt very good the last days, but you never know, with super-G especially, you have to push so hard. It’s always on the limit. Actually, you’re pushing so hard, maybe you’re not going to finish.

“I knew what my tactics should be, I was not thinking about what’s going to happen in the finish until I got there. I had a very, very good run, so I’m happy with that.”

She hadn’t raced in a speed event since the World Cup finals in March. But the next eight events on the calendar are all technical events. They’ll then return to speed races in mid-January.

“I think that can help me with my giant slalom, and maybe even a bit with the slalom, to know if I can do it in downhill and super-G and downhill, I can do it in GS and slalom,” said Shiffrin.

In the overall season standings, Shiffrin takes a 105 point lead over Sofia Goggia, who broke two bones in her left hand. She underwent surgery on Friday and returned the following day to race.