PREVIEW 2019 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS - 5-17 Feb World Championships return to Sweden • Åre will host the World Championships for the third time after 1954 and 2007. • Austria is the most successful country at the World Championships with 95 gold medals, 99 silver, and 92 bronze medals (286 total medals). Switzerland is next on 191 medals - 64 gold, 68 silver, and 59 bronze. • Austria have collected at least one medal at 41 of the previous 44 world championships. The only exceptions are 1934, 1938 and 1939. • Austria (149) is one medal shy of winning its 150th medal in men's events. Norway (47) needs three more medals to reach 50 medals in men's events. • Sweden won its most gold (3) and its most total medals (7) in 2007, the last time the World Championships were held in Sweden (also Åre). • Sweden's last world title came at the World Championships in 2007, when Anja Pärson won the ladies' super-G, downhill, and alpine combined. • Pärson (7 gold) is one of four Swedish world champions alongside Ingemar Stenmark (5), Pernilla Wiberg (4) and Jonas Nilsson (1). Hirscher targets Sailer's record, Svindal bows out • Marcel Hirscher (6) is one world title shy of joining Toni Sailer as the only men with seven world titles. The other active skiers close to Sailer's men's record are Aksel Lund Svindal and Ted Ligety (both 5). • Hirscher (9) and Svindal (8) are closing in on joining four men on 10 or more World Championships medals: Kjetil André Aamodt (12), Marc Girardelli (11), Lasse Kjus (11) and Benjamin Raich (10). • Svindal won the first two of his five world titles at the last World Championships held in Åre, in 2007. • Svindal has won his world titles in the downhill (2007, 2013), alpine combined (2009, 2011) and giant slalom (2007). He could become the fifth man to win a world title in four different individual events after Toni Sailer, Jean-Claude Killy, Pirmin Zurbriggen and Bode Miller (all 4). • Svindal can become the second skier to win a world title at five different World Championships, after Christel Cranz. Hirscher, Ligety, Tessa Worley and Mikaela Shiffrin could all claim a gold medal at a fourth different World Championships. • Svindal could join Kjetil André Aamodt (7) and Marc Girardelli (6) as the only skiers to collect any medal at six World Championships. Lindsey Vonn can also achieve this. • Hannes Reichelt (38 years) could break the record for oldest medallist, male or female, at the World Championships. This record is now held by Patrik Järbyn who claimed silver in the mixed team event in 2007 (in Åre) at the age of 37-308. Information provided by Vonn eyes another medal, Shiffrin seeks fourth slalom title • Lindsey Vonn could join Kjetil André Aamodt (7) and Marc Girardelli (6) as the only skiers to collect any medal at six World Championships. Aksel Lund Svindal can also achieve this. • Vonn (34 years) could become the oldest woman to win a world title, breaking the record set by Tina Maze when she won the alpine combined in 2015 at the age of 31 years and 283 days. • Vonn has won a record six World Cup races in Åre. Her nine World Cup podiums in Åre are only second to Anja Pärson (11). • Mikaela Shiffrin has won three world titles in the ladies' slalom. She could become the second skier, male or female, to win a specific event four times at the World Championships after Christel Cranz - four in the slalom and five in combination event. Ted Ligety could also achieve this in the men's giant slalom. International Ski Federation www.fis-ski.com Gracenote Sports on Twitter @GracenoteGold Information provided by .