Mikaela Shiffrin Falls Short of Gold in Slalom at the World Championships

Last month, Shiffrin, 27, broke her fellow American Lindsey Vonn’s record by winning her 83rd World Cup race, the most by a female skier. She now stands at 85, one short of the overall record, set by Ingemar Stenmark of Sweden in the 1970s and ’80s. That mark figures to be in serious danger of falling during the final stretch of the season in March with multiple technical races left on the schedule.

Even though she is expected to win every slalom race, Shiffrin arrived at the ski hill in Méribel, France, in the Alps with little pressure, since she already had a pocketful of medals at this world championship. Those medals, and especially her win in the giant slalom, had exorcised the demons of the Beijing Olympics, where she failed to finish three events and finished far-off the podium in the other two.

“In a way, the pressure is off, and the most important thing for me is to try to enjoy the last event of this world championships,” Shiffrin said after her giant slalom win on Thursday.

Shiffrin skiing with the weight of the world on her shoulders can be tough to beat in a technical race, as opposed to speed events, which have never been her strength. But put her in the starting hut with nothing to lose and a chance to ski with the freedom and joy she is always searching for, and getting the better of her becomes nearly impossible.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/18/sports/skiing/mikaela-shiffrin-world-championships.html