THE MOST SUCCESSFUL ski racer of all time has achieved what no skier has ever gotten close to doing before. Mikaela Shiffrin has reached a level that few athletes have reached in any sport.

On Feb. 23, the 29-year-old notched her 100th World Cup victory in Sestriere, Italy. The victory marked an incredible surge of strength -- both physical and mental -- following recovery from a serious early-season injury.

When the first-place result came up on Sunday, she lay on the snow, almost in disbelief, before being helped up by teammate Paula Moltzan. Afterwards, Shiffrin cried when she was asked what it meant to her to win after struggling the last few months.

"I don't know that it's possible to dream about a milestone like this," she said after the race in an interview, "It's too big. It's too long. It takes too much. I always dreamed about good turns, step by step and trying to be better tomorrow than I was today. That dream for me is big enough."