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Mikaela Shiffrin is enjoying fantastic start from olympics season, moving towards Christmas A period with an unblemished record in slalom.
American skiing The standout has taken four victories in four World Cup slalom races, while also demonstrating strong comebacks in other disciplines after the two most significant crashes of his career.
Reflecting on her performance, Shiffrin said: “So far this season I’ve had the ability to produce top-level turns in pressure moments. The world as they’re watching thinks there’s no pressure because I have a big lead or I’ve raced before, but every time I stand at the start it’s like a new situation and I’ve still found a way to really dig deep to find that quality skiing.” Got it. But it’s not straightforward.”
This weekend, Shiffrin is set to return to the Austrian resort of Semmering, a venue where she has claimed seven of her record 105 World Cup wins. They have won the treble there twice in both 2016 and 2022.
This season, there are only two races: a giant slalom on Saturday and then a slalom on Sunday.
Giant slalom and super-G
While Shiffrin has won a record 22 World Cup giant slaloms, she had not been on the podium in the discipline before her horrific crash in Killington, Vermont, last season – which left a gash in her arm and severe trauma to her oblique muscles.
But Shiffrin is coming close in the giant slalom, finishing fourth twice this season, including the last race in Tremblant, Quebec.
“It’s just going to take time,” she said. “I just want to keep improving or maybe get reps up from the slalom level.”
Shiffrin recently entered super-G for her first speed event in St. Moritz, Switzerland, since crashing on a slope in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, nearly two years ago. She was on her way to a good finish until she missed the final gate.
Still, it was likely progress toward her goal of adding super-G to her schedule at the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter olympics – Where the women’s alpine skiing competition will be held in Cortina.
“Even though it’s not the Olympics, it’s a big goal of mine to bounce back in strong form at the Super-G World Cup,” Shiffrin said.
slalom gas pedal
In slalom, Shiffrin’s form is so solid that she has been able to consistently win by large margins – an average margin of 1.5 seconds – and recover quickly from errors.
This is a far cry from the second half of last season, when Shiffrin struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder due to a fall at Killington.
“Right now I can feel when my pace is disrupted and then in my mind it’s like a gas pedal,” she said of how she can pick up pace mid-race.
Another victory in the slalom and Shiffrin would match the best start to a season in her career in the discipline: she had won the first five slaloms in 2018–19.
Overall, Shiffrin has won five consecutive slaloms, including the final race last season. His longest total winning streak is seven slaloms – which he has achieved twice.
dream Team
Already the holder of two Olympic golds – slalom in 2014 and giant slalom in 2018 – Shiffrin could race in four events at the Olympics in Cortina: slalom, giant slalom, super-G and the new team combined.
Shiffrin and downhill teammate Breezy Johnson combined to win the team gold medal at last season’s World Championships.
The combined team consists of one racer competing in a downhill race and then a partner competing in a slalom race – the times are added together to determine the result.
Lindsey Vonn had an unsuccessful bid to team up with Shiffrin at the world combined, but now at age 41 she has a better chance to make skiing’s “Dream Team” after her strong start to the season.