All of this comes after her appearance in the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, where she won gold in the slalom event at age 18.
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She’d originally had her sights set on five medals, but weather has compacted the skiing schedule, forcing her out of super-G. If she win again, she’ll be the first US skier to nab two same-games victories since Vermonter Andrea Mead Lawrence in 1952.
Mikaela Shiffrin of United States of America competes during the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Women’s Slalom on January 7, 2018 in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia.
“Everyone is like: ‘Are you waiting around?’ You’re not really waiting, because you’re keeping yourself – body and mind – ready to go”, US racer Megan McJames said.
Now that task just got more challenging.
Germany’s Laura Dahlmeier won the women’s 10 kilometer pursuit to add to her 7.5km sprint title from Saturday.
“The record is a thing you think about after, but right now it’s just the emotions when you cross the finish line and you see that you’re ahead”.
With all the top 30 having completed their second runs and a huge margin separating them from the rest of the field, the 22-year-old was assured of victory, with Norway’s Ragnhild Mowinckel taking silver and Italy’s Federica Brignone bronze. The women’s slalom will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 14, at Yongpyong Alpine Center.
The men’s moguls competition went unhindered later Monday and it appeared as if nothing could stop Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury.
How would the delays affect Shiffrin? Then, in the three hours before the second run, she took a nap and snuck onto the men’s course for some free skiing with her mom. Great Britain is coming off a 10-3 win against the Olympic Athletes from Russian Federation.
Shiffrin was ranked third in the world in the event entering these Olympics but hadn’t stood on a giant slalom podium in the previous five weeks – not since her victory January 6, in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia. The slalom was supposed to be Wednesday but got pushed to Friday.
The program offers five medals. Her mom, Eileen, said after the race that she wouldn’t compete in the super-G.
That’s a big ask.
Shiffrin wasn’t going to settle for that. Svindal, a two-time world champion in combined, has not skied a competitive slalom run in two years.
This is Shiffrin’s moment.
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Shiffrin thrives on volume training – practice, practice and more practice. Shiffrin had a little bobble late. “That’s why she deserved to win”. On race day, such practice translates to confidence. She has now been on snow for four straight days with the postponed races. “A lot of times if you’re feeling good, you’re slow”.
