Mikaela Shiffrin doesn't medal Sunday, but her best race is yet to come

Mikaela Shiffrin’s medal drought continued Sunday in Italy, but she says she’s trending in the right direction with her best race yet to go.

Shiffrin finished in 11^th place in Sunday’s giant slalom event, but she still felt good amid a crowded field that was separated by mere tenths-of-a-second in the fast-paced event.

“To be here now like within touch of the fastest women, that’s huge for me,” Shiffrin said. “So I’m proud of that.”

Shiffrin said her performance, especially her second run, offered evidence she’s trending in the right direction heading into the slalom later this week.

“To be here now like within touch of the fastest women, that’s huge for me,” Shiffrin said. “So I’m proud of that.”

The spotlight has been intense on Shiffrin ever since she entered six events in the 2022 Olympics and failed to medal in any of them. She also didn’t finish in three of the events, leading many to label her performance as a disappointment.

In a social media post before the giant slalom this weekend, Shiffrin said that racing in the Olympics requires athletes to show “vulnerability” and to risk a lot to compete at the highest level.

“The Olympics ask us to take a real risk on the world stage,” she posted on Instagram. “One that requires courage and vulnerability to erroneous judgment and narratives built on a limited understanding of what this sport truly demands.”

She hopes that mentality will help her to achieve new heights of stardom as she enters the slalom on Wednesday. She won a gold medal in the 2014 Sochi Olympics in the event, and has smashed a record for the most World Cup wins in the sport, with a staggering 71 triumphs in her career.

In all, Shiffrin has 108 career World Cup wins, the most of any skier in history.

This season has been no different for Shiffrin, as she’s racked up five wins and a second place finish in World Cup slalom races.

The slalom will feature two different runs, with competitors combining their times to determine the ultimate result. First runs will get underway at 3 a.m. Wednesday, with the second run beginning at 6:30 a.m.

You can watch the second run in the player below.

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from NBC Chicago https://ift.tt/h7Q8ExX